A Thousand Paper Stars
by Sealixir
Summary: Trinity Stones. That's the name of the girl who Regina found, who became Henry's babysitter, who got mixed up in a magical town, and ended up in Neverland for a second time. The only thing is, she doesn't remember the first time. She thought she was the only normal girl amongst this town of fairytales, but she just didn't know that everyone gets a fairytale. Peter x OC
1. Prologue

**Hi there! This is just going to be a bit of a prologue at the moment, because even though I plan for my OC Trinity to be there from the very beginning, I'm thinking about saving that for filler chapters or an entire prequel to this story. For now though, there will just be a bit of her diary about spread out things that happened throughout the season.**

 **Real quick heads up, this isn't an OC that I'm gonna throw in just for the romance or anything, no once the story starts she will be changing things. For example this latest season...well I wasn't the biggest fan so while a lot of things will stick to the original story, Trinity and maybe a few other OCs will stir up some stuff. Romance is definitely a big part of this story, but action and other plot is as well. Peter Pan, as another example, is definitely not gonna be that old dude. No...just...ew. I've got an idea for that so we're all good.**

 **Aside from that, I almost never have a solid plan for these stories, so if there's something you're dying to see tell me and I might just include it! I have literally no plans for that season with all the baddies and Emma's old friend. speaking of which is anyone else super confused about that? Oh well.**

 **Trinity is gonna be much more than meets the eye, by the way, and when I do eventually finish this story I will give it a happy ending for most people. Cmon though is it just me, who wants to see Rumple get punched for everything's he's done to Belle? Personally I think that last bit of betrayal from Rumple by becoming the dark one again or whatever he did was totally unneeded. Still, I love the show so what can you do?**

 **Alright that about wraps up everything for now. As soon as I can I'll get the first chapter up, but like I said this'll just be a prologue for the story, giving just a few hints about how she fits in, but more will be explained in the actual story. Which, btw, it starts of right when Henry gets to Neverland, with an added person.**

 **Just a warning this is like, the lamest prologue ever so do me a favor and hang in there till the first chapter actually starts. Also it's not edited cause I'm kinda rushes, I know great first impressions but just think about how many typos you have in old journals or diaries? Much love ~ Firelily ~**

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 _Entry 100~_

Hey old diary friend! Wow hasn't it been a while? It's been a year since I last wrote in you, but Henry left to go find his mom today and, well, I'm nervous. Frankly, I'm not really sure what came over me, helping him find her. Closed adoptions usually mean something right? Still, he's usually got a good head on his shoulders. Oh what am I doing? If Regina reads this I'm done for. Even if I've been Henry's babysitter for what, two years now? I'm almost 16...geeze I haven't got a clue what I'm doing with my life! Or Henry's...If that kid doesn't come back...

 _Later~_

Wow, what am I doing back here, you ask? I don't know myself to be perfectly honest. Henry came home earlier, and turns out his birth mom actually came back with him. She's very beautiful, but looked so uncomfortable about it all. I'm writing in this again cause it actually helped earlier. I'm worried for both Henry and Regina, but lord knows I'm not authority on maintaining relations with my family. What if in the end Emma really does take Henry back? I feel that would hurt Regina too much, and later in life Henry too. Oops, gotta go. Duty calls...

 _Entry 101~_

So, I'm back again. It's been a little bit, but not as long as before. Henry told Emma about that crazy storybook idea he has about this town. He thinks everyone is a character from a fairytale. It's the most interesting that's happened in this town, to be honest, but it's still totally crazy. At first he thought I must've been some fairy or something, but I reminded him that I arrived in this town two years ago- so there's no way. Anyway, Emma's staying for a while I guess, and I think I'm pretty happy about it actually. She's very nice to me and reminds me of my first grade teacher who I adored. I think she has a thing for the sheriff, lot's of drama there, but there's something specific that I wanted to at least record in this. I started working for Mr. Gold today, a part time job for time being. Long story- but it seems nice for now. Anyway, I've gotta pick up Henry now...

 _Entry 102~_

I don't get it. I've been having these weird dreams, ever since I started working for Mr. Gold. Green eyes, intense stares... My heart pounding. Every time I wake up I feel confused and lonely. There was even one where I just remember kissing someone, and it tasted sweet. What do these dreams mean? It's like there's something I'm missing... On top of my problems, Mary Margret has just been framed for killing someone. She's too sweet...she'd never hurt someone...right?...

 _Entry 103~_

Ever since August came to town things have been happening more often. Even though I doubted Operation Cobra before, after seeing August's issue with the puppet thing, I'm fully convinced now. Still, Emma wants to go and I think...I'll really miss her. Yeah, yeah, she's Henry's mom, not mine. She can't go yet though... she'll hate me for it but I popped a hole in one of her tires. Still, I'm up in my apartment right now, and Henry said he'd handle it but I can't imagine not doing anything. Alrighty, I guess this ends this entry...

 _Entry 104~_

At first I thought I was dreaming, but when Emma kissed Henry it really worked, the curse was really broken. Still...as I saw everyone else regain their memories, I kinda hoped I would too. I waited...and waited...but they never came. Although I was happy for them, for some reason it was so hard to watch as everyone was reunited. I ran back to my apartment and locked the door. I'll go out later but, will they even want to see me? My parents left me...will these people do the same? Oh god, I'm actually crying...

 _Entry 105~_

Long, long, long story short I'm sitting at Grannies in a booth, scribbling as fast as I can. Turns out...after magic came back Emma, Snow, and I fell into a hat and ended up in the enchanted forest. That was definitely really interesting. I need to write this down before I lose the feeling, but while we were there I think I heard someone. A voice was calling to me. I'm gonna talk to Mr. Gold about it as soon as I can but, I think I may have used magic. Don't get me wrong it might've just been my imagination but something happened...

 _Entry 106~_

Not much time. I'm writing this as I'm running, so excuse the slopping writing. The whole town is in danger, but so am I. Apparently these people are after Henry because their boss wants him... but their boss also wants me. I've gotta find Henry, but if anyone reads this please-...

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 **So yeah super lame right? I swear the other chapters will actually from her POV and there will be Peter Pan romance goodness. Hopefully I'll get it out sometime in the next two days, so keep watch! Thank you so much for reading today and have a good evening!**


	2. Neverland

**Here we go! It's gonna be pretty similar to the original dialogue, with some variance of course. After a while though I'll stop going by script, but it maybe take some time. I really hope you enjoy this first chapter, and please tell me what you think! Romance is gonna come in the next chapter, I promise! Trinity looks like the cover pick by the way, or at least similar.**

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Trinity's POV

I fall on the rough sand and roll away, snatching Henry's tied hands and pulling him up. I make eye contact with him and realize that we both have the same idea, run. Before we can get anywhere, though, Tamara grabs my arm and Greg grabs Henry's.

"Let us go!" I yell at them, and prepare to yell some more, but they shrug and release our arms. I quickly start to untie Henry's hands, confused as the to why they are being so loose with us. "What's going on?" I ask after brushing a bit of sand off Henry's cheek with my thumb.

"You've got no where to go kids, there's no reason to run now." Greg says victoriously and I look around suspiciously. Why do I have such a bad feeling about this place.

"I'll bet we can find a few." Henry says but Tamara only sneers at us and grins.

"We made it, Greg! It's mission accomplished." She says and I press Henry closer to me, why do feel so strange? So afraid? Maybe its because they want Henry. I love him like my own little brother, and I can't let them hurt him.

"My moms' gonna come for us. Both of them." Henry says and I glance around at the trees and the murky water. This place feels dead, like the life is missing from it. Or maybe it's just filled with darkness. My gut twists a bit and I recall the feeling I felt when I traveled to the enchanted forest with Emma and Snow. It feels the same, like I ate something bad. The magic bean must've transported us to another realm, the question is...which one?

"We aren't in storybrook anymore Toto." I whisper to him and he looks at me before back at the confirming looks of triumph on our captor's faces.

"It doesn't matter, you've been to the enchanted forest with mom and Mary Margret. I know they'll be able to do it again." He says and I hold his hand comfortingly. I smile, but it probably comes out more as a grimace.

"Sorry kids, we aren't in the enchanted forest." Tamara says as something, some creature, howls. I tighten my grip on Henry's hand and she grins. "We're in Neverland."

I legit break out in a laugh. "You brought us here? The land of never growing up, of faith trust and pixie dust is where you plan to host your crusade-against-magic club?" I say sobering up and looking around. Then again, this isn't exactly how I imagined Neverland.

"You wanna destroy Neverland?" Henry says slowly, grasping it before I do. Oh gee, that sounds fun.

"This place, like you say, is the mother load of magic." Tamara says and I narrow my eyes at Greg, who's been quiet.

"So whoever you work for has an office here? In the woods?" Henry asks and I glance around. Maybe I can feel something out with the magic Mr. Gold said I have. Greg and Henry start arguing about whether their boss takes care of them, and I try to send out my senses.

Nope, nothing. I'm beginning to think this whole thing about me having magic is baloney. "We don't ask questions, we just believe in our cause." Greg says and I open my mouth to tell him how shitty that kind of life sounds, but Tamara says something first.

"The radio isn't working." She says and Greg says something about the batteries and pulls off the cover, but only sand falls out. I really hope that hasn't happened to my phone cause I really like that thing. I move my hand to check it but think otherwise. They might take it away, and having it for later might be handy.

"What the hell is this? A toy?"

Henry squeezes my hand shares a look with me. "Good thing you don't ask any questions, it might make it harder for us." He says and Greg grows a dark look in his eyes. still, I can see that flicker of fear behind it.

"We're going. Walk, brats." Greg says and I stick my tongue out at him. Jerk. As we walk, Henry never lets go of my hand. Ever since he was eight I've been there to help him out when he didn't feel love from Regina. I failed then, I couldn't help him like Emma does. But I can't fail again. Not this time.

I move my free hand like an X over my heart. "We're gonna get out of here Henry, I promise." I say and feel Tamara kick my thigh. I stumble a bit but spray up dirt on her with the heel of my tennis shoes, winking at Henry when I regain my footing.

After a little bit of walking we reach a clearing and Tamara watches us while Greg builds a fire. I gently poke Henry's side, his tickilish spot. He squeaks boyishly and swats my hand, but with an amused expression. After a while Greg lights the fire and Henry and I stop joking.

"Are we making s'mores?" Henry says sarcastically after a while and Greg looks up at him with a disgust filled look.

"It's a signal. You can't reach your friends the way your used to, so he thinks lighting the forest on fire is a better way to grab their attention." I say with equal sarcasm and then stiffen. The leaves rustle and I feel nervous all over again. Is someone...here?

"We need to gather dry leaves, to build up the fire." Greg says and I notice how Tamara looks reluctant.

"What if it's not enough? What if we were..." She trails off and Greg glares at us.

"Don't let those two brats throw you off. We're here for our cause, right?" He says, but just then the leaves rustle again and I hold tightly onto Henry's hand as a hooded figure steps out into the open.

My heart pounds with my head, blood coursing through me all too quickly. Who is he? What is he? Why do I feel so...? Lots of other hooded boys, by the look of it, step out and I realize how surrounded we are. I gain a hard look on my face, but I'll bet a bit of my panic is showing through. Henry squeezes my hand as tightly as I do his, and even though I know it hurts, I can't register the pain.

"Who are you?" I ask before either Greg or Tamara can say anything. The leading figure glances my way, winks at me, but then faces Greg and Tamara again. My insides turn as Tamara repeats my question.

"We're the home office. Are you enjoying Neverland?" He asks with his club over his shoulder.

"Teenagers? You're lying, the home office isn't a bunch of teenagers." She responds and suddenly it comes to me. The lost boys! That must be who they are, if we're on Neverland. Henry repeats my thoughts and I step slightly in front of him as he questions why they plan on destroying the place.

"Our mission was to destroy magic." Greg says and I stare hard at the boy talking.

"So you were told. Now those two.." His eyes finally drift to me again, but this time it's not just me. It's Henry too.

"You aren't doing anything with him!" I say fiercly at the boy looks away. Tamara and Greg deny them, and for a second I wonder why they would protect us, but realize it's just to preserve themselves.

"You won't get the kids then." Greg says and the boy smiles.

"Of course we are." I feel a strange whooshing sound, one I've heard before, and look up and pull Henry fully into my arms, holding tightly onto him. Instead of anything happening to us, however, I watch as something black, almost unseen, rips something right out of Greg. Peter Pan's shadow. Tamara turns to us, but I'm already pushing Henry along.

"Run!" Tamara and I say at the same time and we dash away. I look back at the lead boy once more as he orders his lost boys after us, and wonder why I suddenly feel so sad. Shouldn't I be scared? Shouldn't I be afraid? I steel up my nerves and push Henry to go further.

"Be careful!" I tell him urgently, "Just get away." He looks like he wants to protest, but neither of us have more than a second to think about it. I push him behind a small mound of dirt and some bushes, and continue sprinting away from the lost boys. I'm faster, I'm sure I can outrun them...right?

I hear them running after me and wonder. Why the hell are we here? What do they want with us? A pair of green eyes flashes in my memories and I stumble a bit. I trip and out of nowhere I'm sliding down a steep hill and hitting plenty of branches and other nasty things along the way. When I hit the bottom of the hill, my muscles grown in complaint but I stand up to keep running, to keep the lost boys distracted.

Before I take a step, my ankle makes an awful twist and I fall down again, the pain throbbing through me. Shit...this is great, isn't it? I grab a tree branch and push myself up, but before I can fall down someone grabs my arm. At first I open my mouth to say thank you, but the dark cloak makes me wanna gag.

"Slow down." A voice says deeply, with a thick silkiness to it. I slowly look up and see the face of the head lost boy. He smirks darkly down at me and I try to struggle away from him, but he doesn't let go of both my elbows. "You wouldn't want to upset yourself."

I glare at him, yet confusion clouds my mind a bit. "Sorry, it's been a long day." I say and he leans in and, for some alien reason, hugs me. I open and close my mouth like a fish. What on earth is he doing? Then again, we're not really on earth...are we?

"Trinity." He says and I see the shadow drift in front of me, while the lost boy hugs me. "Maybe you should rest for a bit then" A thousand questions run through my mind as I stare at the shadow's red eyes as the lost boy hits my neck hard, and darkness clouds my vision.

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 **Yeah, that was some chapter huh? It's way, ways shorter than my usual ones but it's late and I wanted to get this out. Thank you so much for reading this! Have a good evening!**


	3. Sketchbook

**Hiya! Okay, so here's a thing I'd love everyone to listen up to, or else confusion may strike in the future. I don't know when exactly in regular time W** **endy or Neal went to Neverland in Ouat, and frankly at this point I don't really care. I'm just going to say that we're diverging from whatever it is and it'll be in like...1980-ish or something yeah? That's simply for convenience with my OC's past and stuff. I'm pretty sure it works with how old Neal is supposed to be, maybe we'll just boot him out of there sooner than before. It could also kinda interfere with the time when he left Rumple and all the stuff the character's did before the curse, but c'mon. If you really have a timeline knowing exactly when and where these things happened...PM me cause I would love that.**

 **Seriously though as someone who has watched the show since the very beginning and gone back to rewatch it several times, I don't have a clue about when things happened in the enchanted forest. Oh you can stop reading now if you wish, I'm just babbling and justifying my changing things.**

 **Please enjoy!**

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Peter's POV

As he lies to Henry and leads him around, pretending to be a rogue lost boy, he feels something stir inside of him. Something he hasn't felt in a very long time. He pauses for a moment, letting Henry catch his breath from running. She is here, yes he knew it before that the two adults would not fail, but know he feels it. He feels everything on this island, but her presence beats a frequency much different than the others.

It's been long, yes, but she's somehow stayed young. After a while he was beginning to think he would've had to use magic to make her young again, after all mortals age so quickly, but now he knows that it's only be a few years for her, age wise. Anticipation makes him anxious to stop this charade with Henry, remembering the last time she saw him made him want to grin and growl at the same time.

She was pulled away from him, and her last words before she disappeared into a different land were forever etched in his memory. Someone as dark as him, even if not having always been so dark, could scarcely imagine such a girl tell him that she loved him. The thing is, she did, multiple times in fact. Peter squeezes his hand and quirks an eyebrow when Henry isn't looking. Her heart beat slows, which means Felix caught her.

He's interested in why she was running, perhaps she was just playing another game. Maybe it was punishment because he wasn't able to bring her back until just now. Peter really hopes she'll let it go when she wakes up, though, so they can carry on from where they left off.

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Trinity's POV

 _I drifted in dreamland for a bit, wondering how I could've let myself get caught so easily. The thought of the boy hugging me makes my stomach clench, more out of confusion than anything else. Was it honest? Should I know why he knows my name? I sigh, wondering am I just messing with myself_

 _Relaxing, I drift some more, letting my thoughts escape me. If we're gonna escape, this might be the only rest I get in a while, so why not make the most of it? Soon enough I touch down a bit and find myself dreaming._

 _'A cold winter night finds a little girl sitting outside next to a campfire at her family's farm. She warms herself with the heat, careful not to fall in. After a second she looks around, but her mother or father are nowhere in sight. Even though she's young, she's learned fast because of her tendency to have to take care of herself. After all, her parents never wanted her...not after already having three kids._

 _She pushes through, but she's lonely. One day, on the way to preschool, she remembers passing a homeless man. He taught her how to fold a paper star out of strips of paper. He said that if she makes a thousand paper stars, a wish will come true. She has no friends at school, and her family provides her no such pleasure to her heart. So from then on whenever she feels lonely or sad, she makes a star._

 _The little girl at the campfire, now several years older, folds another paper star from the roll of paper strips she always keeps with her, in her overall pockets. She sticks it in her pocket, looking up at the real stars. Little does she know, sitting in her pocket is her one thousandth star!_

 _Suddenly, a burst of embers erupts from the fire, condensing together to make the figure of a little girl. Our little one looks around and the grass she's sitting on grows rapidly, forming another little girl figure. Next is the black of the night sky that pulls down into a deep blue mist, forming one last little girl._

 _The three girls start shining bright red, green, and blue. Our little girls covers her eyes, but when she opens her eyes she discovers three girls, all different looking, yet the same age and size of her. For a moment she forgets to be afraid of such a strange thing, and stares at them in wonder._

 _The three little girls look at each other, and then smile warmly at the girl. "Hello there, we're here to grant your wish."_

 _"What will you do?" Our little girl asks, and the three laugh in synch._

 _"You wanted friends, didn't you?" They respond and she smiles.'_

I burst my eyes open and stare shocked at nothing. What...was that? Who were those three girls? Blinking a few times to take the real world in again, I notice a ceiling above me, and a bed around me. I'm astonished at the very fact that I'm in a bed, wondering where on earth Neverland would have one.

The mattress is hard and the blankets are soft and thick, just like I like them. I sit up carefully and move my ankle slightly to test it...ouch... yep something's wrong there. Probably sprained or twisted. I push the blankets off, despite how welcoming they are, and swing my legs off the bed as I look around the donut shaped room I'm in.

A huge tree trunk stands in the middle of it, spirited with tons of home made decorations...pretty bad ones at that. I chuckle softly looking at a few poorly done drawings that are nailed to the trunk. Everywhere else is some type of wooden plank floor, wall, and ceiling. I test my ankle by standing up, but immediately sit back down.

Fine then, I'll just survey the room from over here.

Around the circular wall is a dresser, a desk, two windows, a record player, a bell with a string on it, and bookshelf. Wow, it looks like a little home, and I guess I can assume the door is behind the thick trunk in the middle. I look on the desk that's close to the bed and spot a journal, sketchbook, and some pens and pencils. Who lived here?

If this is really on Neverland, it must be the nicest place here...even if it's a little dusty.

I try to take a closer look at one of the pictures and accidently topple over off the bed, putting too much weight on my wrong ankle. I begin to push myself up, but someone else grabs me and hauls me up. I swat away the arms that set me on the bed and glare at the head lost boy from before.

"Good morning, I see you're doing well already princess." The boy says with a slight grin on his statue like face. I frown at him and tilt my head.

"Where's Henry?" I ask before any other questions can come out and the boy narrows his eyes.

"All this time, and you're more concerned about him? You offend me. The boy is fine for now, he's with Peter." He responds and the words 'for now' echo in my head. Then the other things mentioned start to sink in.

"I think you're misunderstanding something...or someone...particularly me. I don't know you. Like your name or anything. I've never been here before." I say and his face looks surprised for a second but then becomes emotionless again. Silently, he walks over to the desk and grabs the sketchbook, dropping it in my lap.

"I suggest you look that over, princess." He says before walking around the trunk again. I don't hear a door open or close, meaning that he's standing watch.

Deciding that trying to escaped like this would be futile, I open the sketchbook. On the first page is a roughly draw sketch of scenery, and that goes on for several pages until I open one with a face drawn on it. I don't know the boy, but his face triggers something inside me.

Beneath the face is that name 'Peter'. After staring at the face for a while, I move on to see the face of that head lost boy. The details are really well draw, except he's smiling, which it doesn't look like he does that often. 'Felix' is his name and I'm tempted to call him over with it.

Instead, I flip through the rest of the pages, finding quite a few more sketches of Peter. I begin to close it, but then go back and look at the first sketch of him. He looks happy, cheerful even, yet as I flip through the drawings of him... his face grows somber. His expressions are darker and finally there is no trace of the cheer, only a deep look that can only be described as evil.

I snap the book shut this time, spooked by the sudden transition. What happened? Obviously Peter Pan isn't at all like the stories from back home... but was he once? I set the book aside and calm my breathing, glancing around the trunk to see what Felix is doing. He notices my looking and I quickly pull myself back behind the protection of the tree.

Gaining an idea, I search my pockets and pull out everything I have. A cute bottle of candy apple hand sanitizer, my phone, a small bottle of magic pain killers, a few quarters, and a tube of lip balm. Great... totally useful. Since I doubt there's any cell service in Neverland, I hide my phone in the sheets at the foot of the bed. Hopefully I'll be able to come back here should I need it.

The only thing that's really worth much to me are the pain killers. I remember Mr. Gold giving them to me after the curse ended, saying this was payment for working for him during the curse, but he couldn't let me do it any longer. I had argued, of course, but ever since I carried the small bottle with nine pills around me everywhere. There were ten, I've never taken one, but I gave one to a boy in the enchanted forest for helping me find Emma and Snow again.

Sighing loud enough for Felix to hear, I consider the idea of taking one now. If I do, I've at least got a chance at escaping, and maybe I can find Henry. I fall back on the bed with my feet still on the floor and stair at the ceiling.

Almost immediately, I spring back up into a sitting position. How am I able to relax so easily? It's insane, I'm in Neverland! Furious with myself, I stand up and limp around the tree trunk to confront Felix. Yet, when I get there he isn't. I never heard the door open or close... was I that distracted? My ankle throbs in protest when I reach to open the door, but I'm almost thankful for the pain that brings me back to reality.

The only problem with reality is that it's absolutely bogue. I watch as the door handle turns without my hand, and the door is pulled open. I widen my eyes and Peter Pan himself steps through, and I take several agonizing steps back, slamming into the tree trunk.

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 **Ah! I'm super rushing right now so I don't have time to discuss things like I want to but I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if unedited! I'll edit it as soon as I get back from what I've got to do this weekend so if you read this before then...well maybe wait a few hours. Thank you my lovelies and please tell me what you think!**

 ***Update: Has now been edited!***


	4. Pan

**Are you excited my lovelies? I know I sure am! I don't have much to say up here which is kinda unusual, so I'm wondering if I'm missing something? Probably. Anyway might as well get on with it! I really hope you enjoy this one! Thanks!**

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Trinity's POV

"Oh..." I say backed against the tree trunk with wide eyes as Peter enters and closes the door behind him. I steel my nerves and straighten myself, "Where's Henry!?" I demand first and foremost. Please don't let him have been hurt while I was playing Pictionary.

Peter rolls his eyes, hosting a slight grin on his face as he walks up to me. "As I believe Felix told you, he's fine. Taking a nap at the moment to be precise. Poor laddie is all tuckered out." He takes another step closer to me, staring at me hard with his dark green eyes. "Now..." He takes one of my hands but I rip it back to me immediately. "Shall we discuss this game you're playing?" He leans in close to me and my stomach flutters.

What is he doing? I don't know him! Breaking away from his intense gaze, I duck under his arms and scramble around the tree trunk. "Nope! That was way too close Mr. Peter Pan." I say trying to keep my voice light but panic floats in as I realize I'm trapped in a room, with a bad ankle, with Peter Pan. Gee wiz. Peter stalks around the tree trunk and to me again. "There's this thing called a personal bubble.." This time, before I can walk away again, he puts his hands on my shoulders and sits me down on the bed.

"What's wrong?" He asks and kneels down in front of me, looking at me from below. Concern lights his face, but a dark look resides behind it. "Are you upset because I let you get captured?" Can he not see how much I'm freaking out right now? I open and close my mouth several times, trying to make sense of this conversation.

"I'm just gonna spell it out for you. I'm not the girl you know...I don't know you." I say and Peter narrows his eyes.

"You don't remember?" He asks carefully, looking like he's holding himself back.

"I remember all of my life, and I never met Peter Pan before, I think that'd make a mark." I respond with a hard tone of voice.

He stands up and pulls me up with him. I wince as my ankle throbs but Peter waves his hand and the pain goes away. I would've tried to run if he didn't put his arm around my waist and press his lips to mine. I pull back and slap him hard on the cheek but he ignores it and grabs my arms.

I think he's going to say something, but instead he just kisses me again, harder this time. I struggle against him but something feels so familiar. He pulls away and drops my arms so I stumble back and hit the bed again, this time falling on the floor beside it. I scrub my mouth fiercely with my sleeve and feel several tears fall down my face before scrubbing those away too.

"What is your problem!?" I say, my voice cracking and he looks at me angrily.

"You don't remember? All that time you spent here with me and the lost boys. All that time I was trying to find you?" He says looking around the room and raging. but he freezes when he looks back at me. The tears are gone and I stare at him defiantly. I stand up and glower at him, absolutely furious.

Then, after seeing his now surprised face, something stirs inside me. For a moment, when he saw me on the ground there was no darkness behind his eyes. I think about it while the Peter in front of me watches me carefully. It's the face of the first half of his sketches.

"Prove it." I say, holding my own fury in. He quirks an eyebrow and steps aside to gesture at the tree trunk. I look closely at one of the poorly draw sketches I'd noticed earlier on it. It was probably torn from the sketchbook, but whoever drew in that didn't draw these.

I slowly widen my eyes and gawk at them. Despite them being poorly draw, between the three of them there is definitely a resemblance. "They're drawings of you, some of the younger lost boys drew them for you." Peter says and continues with a and cocky tone to his voice, "You nailed them to this tree like you were their mother."

"I don't remember ever being here." I say, chills running up my spine when I realized he was probably telling the truth. If only Emma was here, I could use that super power. A sudden feeling of loneliness comes over me and I realize I miss her. When Henry and I get back I can imagine David rustling our hair with that super confident smile he has, and Snow will give me a hug. I'm sure we'd talk a lot about what happened. Kind of like how we did during the curse when she and David were confused about each other.

Regina and I have never been super close, but she took me in when I needed it. I never asked her... but I wonder if there's more to it than me just being some kid on the street. It's funny how things connect, since I remember Neal was the one who found me after I ran away from the orphanage.

"What do you remember then?" Pan asks challengingly and I shrug. He moves closer to me and takes my hand. I begin to pull away but once again see a look of concern, without the darkness behind it. He strokes my hand and I raise an eyebrow, mocking his own tendency to speak with his.

"My family died in a car crash when I was thirteen, and I was put in an orphanage. I ran away to New York and met a guy named Neal, and from there we went on a trip to Maine for his job and I met a kid who had run away from home. Since I wasn't exactly tied to Neal in any way I said goodbye and took the kid home. That kid was Henry, and his mom took me in to be his babysitter since I had no where else to go." I say listing things off like a todo list.

"Now I see, your parents never died, at least not like that. Someone must've done something to your memories. When you were thirteen you came here, to Neverland. You were here for a good ten years, but people don't age here." He pauses and lets go of me hand.

His eyes grow dark and he looks furious again. "This is your home. You belong here with me, you've said so yourself. You were taken from me, but now you're back. For good." He says and I open my mouth to say something, but just then my stomach growls loudly and I feel my cheeks heat up. Wow...that's attractive. "Come on then, we'll go to camp." I raise an eyebrow as he walks to the door, wondering if I should follow him.

It's better than being stuck in here all day...hopefully. After following him out the door I look around. It's a tree house! I guess I should've figured that but it's quite high in the air. I suppose they had to give it that air of danger everything in this place has. I spot a rope that goes all the way to the ground, and prepare to jump to it, but Peter grabs my waist before I do.

"Oi!" I exclaim but shut my mouth quickly when we fly up in the air. I gasp and unlike the struggling I was doing before, I cling onto Peter tightly, keeping my eyes shut. Don't look down, oh god I hate this. When we finally touch the ground I quickly unlatch myself and take a few steps away from him. He looks at me with mischief in his eyes and I point a finger at him. "I swear to God you better warn me next time or I'll go down and take you with me!" I say and he laughs.

After I catch my breath I look around and see a few of the lost boys looking my way. Did I know any of them? Hold up am I seriously starting to believe this whole thing? Maybe I am... after all I always wanted to be a character from the fairytales. I look up as a flash of orange comes my way and I catch it out of the air.

"Eat up." Peter says and leans against a tree. I roll my eyes and start peeling the orange, but when I get a wedge out I offer it to Peter. He raises an eyebrow and looks sulky. "You don't trust me?"

"Maybe I wanna check for tampering with it..." I say and pull out another one and take a bite out of it, barely being able to continue when the amazing flavors hits my tongue. ...or maybe I just wanna share." I finish and he slowly takes the orange wedge from my hand and brings it to his lips. He grins as he pops it into his mouth and I turn away, eating the rest of the slice I had in my hand.

I finish the rest of it with my back turned, surveying the camp a bit. Once I'm done I wipe my mouth and move to wipe my hands on my jeans when Peter comes from behind and grabs my right wrists. I gasps when he licks some of the dripping juices from it. "I really did enjoy that piece.." He says softly in my ear and I jump away from him.

Okay yeah my face is officially as red as a tomato. Peter laughs at my face as I splutter and hold my hand to my chest as I back away. I run into someone behind me and quickly wipe my hands on my jeans as I turn and see Felix. "Hello princess," He says expressionlessly to me.

"Did you get it to him?" Peter asks and Felix nods. I tilt my head but decide it's better not to ask, after all they probably won't tell me anything. I wipe my hands some more on my jeans and let out a small grunt when Felix shoves something into my arms. A bow?

"Do you still remember how to use that?" Felix asks and I glance between him and Peter.

"Uh...no." I say and check out the bow. It's wooden but doesn't look like it's any less useful than a bow from my day and age. I notice some markings and carvings on it and then see something across the back of it. ' _TRINITY'_ "Ohhh, I get it. Well how hard could it be? Where are the arrows?" I ask and Felix hands me the quiver.

"Oh, our little friend has woke up." Peter announces and I set the bow and arrow down, leaning them against the tree.

"Henry?" I exclaim and turn around to see him standing behind me, glancing back and forth between me and the two boys. I run up to him and he hugs me despite the concern in his eyes.

"Trinity! I'm glad you're okay...but I was kinda hoping it wasn't true." He says and I tilt my head, inquiring what he means with a look. "He said that you know him, and have been here before. I didn't think it was true because you never told us." I roll my eyes and turn to glare at Peter, before looking back to Henry, relieved that he's okay.

"That's what it looks like, but I don't remember any of it. Frankly I think they've got the wrong girl, the name Trinity isn't that uncommon, and neither is my face." I say whispering to him and he smiles in response.

"That makes a lot more sense." Henry says and then starts explaining what happened to him. I turn to glare at Peter again when Henry tells me he tricked him, but Peter and Felix are deep in a conversation. After that's done I tell him what happened to me, although I leave out some of Peter's nonsense. Like the kissing...and the finger licking.

"The heart of the truest believer is the key to saving magic." Peter says after I'm done and I scrunch my eyebrows for a second. Have I heard that before? The heart of the truest beliver? I can only assume he means Henry, which makes sense. He was the one who brought Emma to Storybrooke.

"Now Henry, I know you just got back to her but I have work to do with Trinity." Peter says and I raise an eyebrow. "Well, more like Felix does." I raise my other eyebrow and Henry looks at me quizzically. I shrug and look pointedly at Peter.

"And whatever might that be?" I ask exasperated and he grins.

"It's obviously been too long since you've trained with magic, otherwise you would've used it when I kissed you, knowing you, that is." Peter says with a mischievous grin on his face. I narrow my eyes at him but then realized that Henry heard it. He stares at me wide eye and I gape, not sure what to do.

"Well my hand against your face was enough to do the trick." Not really but it still feels good. "Besides I don't have any magic!" I say and shush Henry when he starts to say something, giving him a look and shaking my head. Still, at the mention of magic my stomach flutters and I clench my hands a bit. Peter snorts and rolls his eyes.

"Tell that to those three girls." Felix says and I tilt my head. He nods behind me and I turn and gape again. Three spirit like girls, one blue, one red, and one green, stand- or float- behind me. I push Henry behind me but the girls stir something in the back of my mind.

"I don't have any magic." I tell the three girls, as a joke for what Felix said, and Peter chuckles darkly.

"Trinity..." Henry mumbles and the blue and green girls disappear, leaving only the red one. She looks at me and sticks out her hand. Her hair dances like a flare and misty embers fly off of her. Her feet don't touch the ground and she's wearing a solid red dress that flows down to just above her knees.

"Hello! I'm Crimson. Your best friend."

* * *

 **Well that was kind of a curve ball yeah? I wasn't sure where I wanted to take this chapter, but I guess it went where it wanted to. I considered doing more with Crimson, but I think I'll save that for the next chapter. I'll have to go back to get my timeline right, but I'm pretty sure I know what comes next...maybe. Anywho I really hope you enjoyed this one and please have a good night! (Maybe drop a review if you're feeling generous?) XD**


	5. Jane

**Here we go again! I've got quite a doozy for you here, a lot is explained in this one. At least, well kinda I guess. The next chapter I'm planning to digress a bit from the original show. I dunno, maybe.**

 **Anyway thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I really hope to get some more feedback from you guys! I might've rushed part of this too much, or who knows maybe I didn't This is why I wanna hear from you guys, I don't really know what I'm doing.**

 **Well, I guess we'll just gopher it then. (Get it?) I really hope you enjoy this one everybody!**

* * *

Trinity's POV

"Uhuh..." I mumble and press two fingers to my temple, squeezing my eyes shut. This is kind of getting to be an information overload. What next, someone's going to come and tell me I have three kids or something? After taking a few deep breaths I open them again and see the girl is still there. In all of her red floating mysteriousness.

"This is so cool! I knew you had something special!" Henry exclaims, referencing my period of self discovery where I was trying to make myself fit in after the curse was broken. I wasn't like everyone else who just got there memories back, I was still the same nobody as I was before. Henry was convinced that I had something magical in me, but that's just the way he is.

Or so I thought. You know until I find out that I supposedly spent a decade on Neverland becoming good chums with Peter Pan. Also the girl, yeah that one who's still floating right in front of me. Yep, that's still a thing.

"Okay, I know you don't remember me, but c'mon I can't be the strangest thing you've seen." Says Crimson...who's still floating by the way. I dart my eyes from her to Peter and Felix, then to Henry, the rest of the camp, and finally back to her. The thing that makes this so hard to deal with is, I think I do remember her. She was in my dream with the little girls...was I one of them?!

If all of this is true, then not only have I forgotten a huge part of my life- I've also forgotten friends. I don't get many of those, at least I didn't before I came to Storybrooke. I was introverted and afraid of being myself before I met Henry. He changed me, and ever since then my life hasn't been so bad.

"Trinity?" Henry asks and I hold my arms to my chest, taking a slight step back. Crimson widens her eyes for a second and holds up her wispy hands. How much of what I remember about myself is true?

I was born sixteen years ago. Nope scratch that, according to Pan I spent at least ten years here, not aging. That means I would've been born at least twenty-six years ago.

I'm a normal girl who grew up in Virginia, lost her parents, and some how ended up in Maine with a bunch of Fairytale characters. Partly true, who knows if I grew up in Virginia at this point. Who knows how much of any of it is true? Geeze, I can't take this!

"Woah, woah, woah! I know that look! Slow down and don't freak out!" Crimson says and Henry puts his hands on my arms. For a moment I consider breaking out into a run into the forest, but reject the idea immediately when I think of leaving Henry behind. I take another deep breath and force myself to relax. It's alright. You may be questioning your entire existence right now, but you've got time to work it out. Relax.

"I-I'm good. I'm chill." I say slowly releasing my hands from my chest and putting them in the air. "Totally chill right now." I glance over and see Pan grinning. I let my hands fall against my side, feeling my previous fear and anxiety turn into curiosity. "So... I knew you before or something? You're gonna have to take a number, there's kind of a line."

Henry snorts and Crimson grins at my not-freaking-out. "You did when you were a little kid. Once you started middle school we thought it would be better to let you make friends there and so we left and let you forget us, like imaginary friends. Once you came to Neverland though- totally ruining the plan we had for you having a peaceful school life, thanks for that Pan- we came back." She says and Henry nods in understanding, but I hold a hand up.

"I dropped out of middle school because I ran away after my parents..." I trail off as Pan rolls his eyes and I swallow hard. "Wait...right yeah that didn't actually happen did it?" Crimson shakes her head and I sigh, massaging my forehead again. "Course not, carry on."

"For the record." Pan says before Crimson can speak again. "Unless you weren't paying attention to her, she was miserable before I brought her here." Right as he finishes I point a finger at him.

"Nope. Bringing up things that I don't remember, and out of context from her filling me in, is against the rules. It's already confusing as it is." I say and he raises an eyebrow, grinning at me darkly.

"Oh yeah? What'll you do to me if I break the rules?" He says and I drop my hand immediately, hearing Felix snicker.

"Moving on." Crimson says while glaring at Pan. "You spent ten years here, and while you did you trained your magic with us, when you weren't wasting your time with them. One day, we left for bit to go.. well it's not important where, but we left for a week and when we came back you were gone. It took ages to find you, but once you entered Storybrooke we kept hidden inside you. We weren't sure when to show up, and we weren't going to just now either, but something about this place just pulled us out." Crimson finishes and I put it together in my head.

"That was confusing." Henry says plainly and I gesture with my hands to show that I agree with him. As bad as she is at explaining things, for instance that place they left to that 'isn't important', I think I've got almost everything covered. In fact, she might even be useful! If miss floaty spirit can float all over the island, then we can know when Emma and the others get here!

"How wonderful, seeing you two get reacquainted! However, we have an outline for today that we need to follow." Pan says and I resist shivering when my eyes meet the darkness in his. "Henry, I have to talk to you some more." I put a protective hand on Henry's shoulder, and he looks up at me with wide eyes.

"Wait a minute, do you honestly think I'm going to let him out of my sight-" Henry straightens himself up before interrupted me at a hushed tone.

"Trinity...it's okay." He whispers, surprising me with the amount of strength I can see in his eyes. I kneel down a bit and readily forget anyone else is there. "We can't get away from him right now, we're both outnumbered by the amount of lost boys, not to mention outmatched by Pan. He doesn't want either of us dead, so the best thing is to wait for my moms to come for us." He says and I smile.

"When did you get so..."

"Amazing?"

"I was gonna say reasonable, Mr. I'm-going-to-New-York-by-myself." I say standing up and brushing a small tear from my eyes. He's right, there's nothing we can do but make him angry right now. I look up and see Pan walking towards us. I narrow my eyes and he winks at me.

"Not getting enough attention?" He says and I roll my eyes. A flash of red reminds me of my visitor and Crimson floats close to Henry. She bends down and peers at him closely.

"He's so adorable!" Crimson squeals but Pan pulls him away by the arm, sneering at her as he goes. She sniffs and straightens out, and I watch with clenched fists as Pan leads Henry away. He looks back at me one last time and gives me a reassuring grin, before disappearing into the forest with Pan.

"Are you done now?" Felix drawls and I glare at him.

"What exactly is it that I'm doing with you anyway?" I ask him, glancing warily at Crimson who's still hanging around. Her arms are crossed and she leans against a tree...as much as a person that floats can at least. Felix grins slightly, and I notice something I hadn't before.

Just like Pan in the sketches, he also looked a whole lot less...well, evil. I don't have any later sketches to compare him to, as there was only one. He was still as emotionless as ever, and maybe you can't catch the darkness that ebbs from him in a sketch, but it still looked...different.

"I'm going to remind you what it means to be one of us, the lost girl, since you've become a Jane Doe to yourself." He says and I do a mental retake at the mention of Jane Doe. It's generally used for a woman who's identity is unknown. Meaning that I don't know my own identity. "So come on. We've got a lot of work to do, Jane"

* * *

Several hours later, I tried to make my heavy panting as quiet as possible as I lean against the back of a tree. I notch my last arrow into the bow and listen carefully. Somewhere behind me, past the tree, Felix is preparing to attack me again. Once I reveal myself I have to shoot fast, aiming low so he'll be distracted. My arrow won't hit him, I know that, but if I can distract him then it'll give me enough time to grab the large branch that feel from the tree.

With that I can put up a better fight then these arrows are doing me, and maybe I'll be able to finally win. The current score is sixty-seven to zero. Zip. Notta. That ends right now. I quickly spin away from the tree as Felix moves around it and fire the arrow, not even bothering to wait and see if it hit.

I roll away as soon as my arrow flies and snatch the branch from the ground. I spin around again and swing the branch to collide with Felix's legs. Frustration builds up and I dig the branch into the dirt behind him, using it as a poll to jump and kick Felix in the chest. He goes down on his back and I land on him with my legs straddling his chest. I grin at the shocked look on his face and move the branch so it's pressing against his neck.

Holy shit, since when did I have that in me? Oh right, since he beat me by pushing me in the river twenty-six fights ago. I push down, not hard enough to choke him, but enough to let him know that I mean business. He grins and holds up his hands.

"You got me, princess." He says and I narrow my eyes, calming my breathing and waiting for him to say the finishing word we agreed on. I almost beat him ten fights ago, but I forgot and celebrated too early. He rolls his eyes, "Uncle."

I stand up and drop the branch, stepping away from him so he can stand up. "So another one?" I say not being able to hide my dislike of these 'training' bouts. There were several times when I really thought he was going to kill me. Thankfully, he shakes his head and hands me a pouch of water.

"No more today. You did well, no one has beaten me in a long time." Felix says and I could've sworn I almost heard friendliness in his tone. I raise an eyebrow and gratefully drink up the water. After I got my fill I handed it back to Felix, thinking he must be thirsty too, but he shakes his head. "I have things to do, so I'm leaving you here for now. You can try to explore if you want, but know that Pan always knows where you are." I consider the idea of going exploring, rolling my eyes at the always knowing part. I kinda really hope that's a lie.

"Yeah yeah. What are you doing?" I ask. I'll probably gather all those arrows up first, so that if anything attacks me I'll have them. Turns out I'm actually quite skilled with them, although Felix claims it's because I spent years mastering it here.

"We aren't alone out here, princess. Consider it something like guard duty." He calls behind him as he walks away, waving to me with his hand. I glance around, imagining what kind of beasts could be out here. After a few moments I start gathering up my arrows and spot Crimson, who had been hanging around the entire time.

"I was wondering when you'd be finished, we've got work to do too, you know." She says and helps me out by floating over top of where the arrows are. I raise an eyebrow, what kind of stuff... oh. She did show up when we started talking about magic...

"Do you intend...to teach me magic?" I ask and she nods, with an ambitious look in her eyes.

"By the time we're done you'll be able to kick that boy's ass in two seconds flat. Not even the dark one will give you trouble." She says and I snort. Yeah right, I barely do card tricks. I grab my last arrow and sit down with my back against a tree. My muscles scream at me and I sigh.

I don't think I'm any lost girl, after all I'm through just by several hours of training.

"Can I take a nap first?" I mumble and lean my head against the back of the tree.

"No way! Who knows how much those boys will leave you alone! Besides we've got to get you off of this island as soon as possible!" She says and I groan. "Even if we had time for a nap, the middle of the woods is definitely not a good place!"

"Got it, you're right Crimson." I say and stand up again, stretching. If there's anyway I can, I need to get Henry and I out of here.

"You know, you always called me Crim before." She says and I smile a bit.

"Okay Crim, where do we start?" I say and crack my knuckles. She grins and holds out her hands.

"Follow my lead."

* * *

The sun starts to set as I fall to my knees and scream slightly in frustration. My hands are held out in front of me, palms out, and I'm concentrating on making a flame from magic. So far I've gotten sparks and smoke to come out, but no flame.

"Come on! You can get it! Passion, emotions- that's what our magic breaths!" Crim encourages and I think about how confusing it is to be told you're not who you think you are. The longing I've felt to Emma and Henry, wanting to be apart of a family like that. Nothing helps, I still can't get the flame to come out.

I close my eyes and remember kissing Pan. My heart flutters and suddenly something spills out from my chest. I open my eyes and for a small second see a flicker of a flame come from my hands. "I got it!" I exclaim, even if slightly set back by what thought got me here. The flame goes away and I let my hands rest on my knees.

For the last hour I've been attempting this, not as long as my fights with Felix, but equally- if not more challenging. I look up, expecting Crim to say more about me finally getting it, but she's nowhere in sight. Instead, I look see Pan walking towards me.

"So you did." He says and I hold my hands to my chest, imaging how awful I look.

"Where's Henry?" I ask and he rolls his eyes.

"At camp. What's with you and that kid?"

"He's important to me."

"He's important to a lot of people. But what about me?"

"What do you mean?" I ask and he grabs my hand, pulling me up so I'm standing. My heart beats fast and I wonder if he's going to try anything again.

"Don't you feel something? Anything?" He says as he strokes my tired hands. I gaze into his eyes, but more than anything the darkness is pulsing ominously from them. Still, if I look hard enough, I can see the raw emotion. What's wrong with me? I can't move.

"I don't know you." I say weakly as he places his forehead on mine. I quickly back away and hold my arms to my chest. "Also I'm super sweaty and smell gross and I haven't washes my hair in days. Besides where did Crim go? Did you see?" I babble and he laughs. He actually laughs, erasing the darkness for a second.

"You always acted like this before you left." He says after turning his face away from me and I tilt my head a bit, wanting to see his face without the darkness again. I take a step closer but his hands shoot out and grab my wrists. He presses them together in one hand and puts his other behind my head, leaning in to kiss me again.

I tried to deny hit and run away again, but all my energy has been spent. He continues slowly, trying to get a reaction out of me. When he doesn't, he pulls back with his hand trailing down to my neck. "Trinity, I know you. Even more so, I know you love me." He holds me against his chest and wraps his arms around me. I stand there shell shocked as he whispers in my ear. "And whether you like it or not, I love you."

I think about the fire that I created with the memory of his kiss. Almost unconsciously my head rests against his shoulder and I close my eyes. What do I do? It should be wrong...but it doesn't feel bad.

"Get away from her." A voice says and I snap my head up, looking around to see Mr. Gold and Neal standing at the edge of the clearing with Henry slung over Neal's shoulder.

* * *

 **Wow so that was a long chapter, yeah? Well it's been a long day so I'm going to edit this, pop it up, and then hit the hay. Thank you so much for reading and please tell me what you think so far! Have a good evening! :)**


	6. Flames

**Well I realize I left you guys with a slight cliffhanger, sorry 'bout that. With this chapter, I think I'm going to seriously alter the plot that happens. I'm also going to be adding a new OC soon, maybe in this chapter, maybe in the next.**

 **I'm bringing her in with something from** ** _Peter Pan in Scarlet_** **, the official kinda sequel of the original author's** ** _Peter and Wendy._** **Sadly I don't have the book to read it, I just came across an article about it while doing some research for this story. Anyway, if any of you have read it, I won't be using any cannon stuff from it, just the idea I got from a short two sentence description of this one place mentioned in it.**

 **I know, super vague but it'll definitely be apparent as to what I'm talking about because it didn't happen in the show...I don't think at least. No, probably not. Either way I've got cool stuff with it planned!**

 **So without further ado! Thank you so much for the reviews, they make my day! I really hope you enjoy this one! Lots of love my dear readers!**

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Trinity's POV

Neal is alive! I stare at him and Rumpelstiltskin, imagining Henry's delight when he hears. Unfortunately the boy looks very not-okay over Neal's shoulder. "Is Henry alright?" I ask, interrupting the silent standoff they were having. Rumpel glances me over, and his hard glare softens when it meets my anxious eyes.

"He's fine Trin. We're getting both of you out of here." Neal says but Pan tightens his grip on my wrists again.

"You may have had an easy time getting him out of camp without me there, but it's a different story now." Pan says and Neal sets Henry on the ground, taking a crossbow that Rumpel was holding. I flip my palms out, and close my eyes, concentrating again. Come on...fire help me out again...

I hear them face off about something and instead of thinking about the kiss, I think instead about his laugh. The way his face lit up with a smile that held no darkness behind it. I want to see that again. I want to understand why he always has a shadow of darkness beside him. Suddenly, a burst flame expands from my hands and I pull them away from Pan.

I back away quickly while he starts advancing on me again, but Neal moves around him and stands in front of me. "You stay away from her." He says and Pan's eyes burn into mine. I notice a singed part of his sleeve and gain a slight bit of satisfaction from the successful flame.

"Baelfire.." Rumpel warns his son and I run over to Henry, kneeling down to check him over and make sure he's really alright. Neal releases the trigger and I hold back a gasp. Pan grabs it right before it hits his chest and Neal moves back and picks up Henry. I watch as Pan is glossed over, frozen by some type of magic.

"I didn't coat the tip." Neal says grimly and I realize that aside from the few seconds I checked Henry, my eyes haven't left Pan. He watches me as Rumpel puts a hand on my shoulder and pushes me forward. I break the eye contact and stare at the ground as the four of us quickly run away.

* * *

We get far enough away when Neal sets Henry down and Rumpel creates a fire with the wave of his hand. I collapse next to Henry and feel my heavy eyes start to close.

"I'm exhausted." I murmur but sit up as Neal puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me over.

"You're okay? As in he didn't hurt you in anyway?" He asks and I look away.

"Not really...it's just... I kinda found out a whole bunch about myself. Like I was actually here before, on Neverland and I don't even remember and I can- I've got magic!" I say quickly and Neal looks almost guilty for a second. "What? What is it?" I glance over to Rumpel but he looks away immediately.

"I knew. You were here when I came here as a little boy. Something happened to you one day, but Pan never told any of the lost boys what. He got worse after you were gone, but he always said that he would bring you back. When I found you in New York... I was shocked, but you were just the same as before." He explains and I stand up, despite my entire body telling me to lay down and sleep.

"You didn't tell me. You knew...but you never.." I say, hurt and betrayal flashing in my eyes. I glance to Rumpel again and narrow my eyes. "you never told me, but you told him?" Rumpel nods and I look up at the sky. "Oh please just one minute when I don't feel like my entire life has been a lie." I murmur bitterly, with a hint of wary acceptance.

"Trin... it's not that I wanted to lie to you, but I found you with these people. We'll discuss them more later, but they're the reason why you were taken from Neverland, and why you stayed young even after you left this place. I didn't want to tell you about magic when you had the possibility of a life away from it." He says and I sigh.

"Who were they? I wanna discuss it now. We have time right?" I say but Neal shakes his head. I open my mouth again to remind him that I have a right to know, but Rumpel walks over and speaks up.

"We do, but these are- were hardly people at all. They did horrible things. It's best to bring that subject up in a place where you don't have to worry much about nightmares." Rumpel says and I tense, trying to imagine what could've happened. I know he's not the most trustworthy guy, but I was his part timer for a while. He took care of me, and something tells me he's trying to do the same now. "It was better for you to not to have to remember that."

I nod slowly, understanding why they did it, but still pissed. "What about when we were in Storybrooke? Why couldn't you tell me then?" I demand and clench my hands. "Don't you think it would've been better if I had at least known? I want to know now it would've been the same then!"

Suddenly I wonder, does it have something to do with the night terrors I would get? Ever since my parents died, I would have awful dreams that left me screaming in tears when I woke up. It's the reason why I stay in an apartment loft, similar to Snow's but smaller. I told Regina I would disturb her and Henry if I stayed with them. I always thought it was just trauma from my parents, but was it something else?

They don't say anything and I feel heat rush up behind my eyes. "How much time do we have?" I ask quietly, looking away.

"An hour or two at best. Trinity right now you have to believe Pan's evil. He's not good for you. You can't try to go back and do anything." Rumpel says and I think about it myself. Sure he's a jerk, but..

"I dunno, he never lied to me." I whisper and sit down next to Henry and lay down, resting my head on my elbow and closing my eyes. Within several minutes of the only noise being the crackling of the fire, I realize that either way I don't want to go back to him. Neal meant the best for me, and I know he believes it.

"Trin... I'm sorry." Neal says and I smile a bit.

"It's alright, I forgive you." I murmur just before drifting off into a light sleep.

* * *

Third person POV

The quintet of Emma, Hook, Regina, and the Charmings continued their trek through the woods, following the map that Emma had been able to unlock. It wasn't very long, though, until they had to make camp again due to the setting sun.

"We can't just stop every time it gets dark, we'll never get to them in time!" Regina complains, which the group has gotten quite used to recently. Still, Emma does think she had a point, as she also wants to find her son and Trinity as soon as possible. She had met Trinity the same time as she met Henry, and even though she wasn't her actual daughter, Emma has always considered her like she is.

Hook, however, understands the dangers of the Neverwood at night. He remembers encountering animals like bears, tigers, lions, wolves, flamingoes, and crocodiles. Don't let flamingoes fool you, one of his own crew was taken out by a nasty bite from one. There's also the Piccaninny Tribe, which he knows would consider the group of five easy targets to capture.

David and Snow trust at least one thing about Hook, that he knows Neverland well enough to know when to stop. Even though they carried the same desires of the two mothers to retrieve the kids, they didn't want anyone to be hurt. Besides, at this point they were almost more concerned about their daughter, who was dealing with so much pain. They can't do anything to help her, not just because she's shutting them out, but even if she let them in they don't know how to comfort her.

"I agree, maybe we should go on throughout the night." Emma says but David, Snow, and Hook quickly disagree. After giving her ten different reasons to stop for the night, Regina throws up her hands in frustration.

"I don't care about flamingoes." She says mockingly. "I'm going to go get my son, and blast through anything that gets in my way." She says and storms off into the woods. The four call after her but she doesn't come back. After several minutes of debating, Emma decides to follow after her.

She goes into the woods, following the obvious trail that the ex-evil queen had left behind with the other three following behind her. Eventually, as she was cutting through the thick forest, she saw a mist begin to seep through the leaves, flowing across the ground, yet never crossing a certain line.

"Regina!?" Emma calls, and hears a distant response from further ahead. Emma looks behind her, but doesn't see Hook or her parents. She has to make a choice, turn back to find them or continue and find Regina. It should be simple to her, right? Her family or the reckless woman who was called the evil queen.

Still, she knew that while her parents and Hook could handle themselves together, Regina might need help. The family inheritance of instinctively helping those in need shows itself as Emma steps into the misty forest. After several steps, the forest opens up and Emma sees Regina ahead of her, standing at the entrance to a maze.

"There you are!" Emma exclaims and meets the woman at the beginning of the maze.

"Shh." Regina says, hushing her. "Can you hear it?" Regina whispers and Emma listens closely. For several minutes Regina had been debating whether to trust the maze of dark green hedges, that reached ten feet above her head. Normally someone would turn around from this place, especially if there's mist seeping from it, but she is no ordinary person, she is an evil queen.

" _Mom! Help me!_ " The faintest sound, a screaming whisper in the wind, makes the savior widen her eyes. Henry! That's Henry's voice calling to them!

" _I'm scared!"_ Unheard by Regina, Emma's ears also find another one's voice. It belongs to Trinity, she's sure of it.

"We have to go in!" Emma says with certainty, forgetting about her parents and Hook, only caring about getting to Henry. She begins to walk in, but Regina grabs her arm and holds her back.

"Wait, it might be enchanted. It's a maze, if we go in- we don't know if we'll come back out." Regina says grimly, also feeling the pull to her son. Emma nods slowly, grimacing when she thinks about getting lost and never coming out.

"Even so...Henry would do it for us." Emma says and Regina nods. Those simple words were so true, and both women were convinced. They prepared themselves before marching into the maze together, determined to seek out where their son was.

What they don't realize though, is that as they walk into the maze the entrance closes up behind him. They had just entered the Maze of Regrets, the place where the mothers of lost boys went in their dreams to find their sons. This time it isn't a dream, but very real. And very dangerous.

Few seeking mothers had ever made it to the actual maze, although there were some. Special ones who truly desired to find their little boy, regretting terribly that they had ever taking their sights off them. However, only one other walks the maze with Emma and Regina, but she's not a mother at all. She's a nineteen year old girl, who wanted so much to find her little brother that she stole a magic bean to find him.

Pan hadn't been worried about the fairy who arrived in the Neverwood one day, as she was promptly trapped by the Maze of Regrets. After several years, the girl was fully encased by the spell of the Maze, not realizing that she'd been in there for decades. To her it was only a few hours.

Now Emma and Regina also discovered the Maze, but with two of them, will they fall under the spell so easily? Will they be able to make it out, back to their friends? Or will the Maze swallow them whole?

Never to be seen again.

* * *

 **Wow, that was super fun to write! I'm here waiting for a snowpocalpse, and lemme tell you I am perfectly content of spending some snowed in days writing. I could do this all day long! xD Well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I'll be scratching my head for a good few hours, trying to figure out how I'm stringing this all together. Thank you so much for reading and please tell me what you think! Have a good evening!**


	7. Maze

**Alrighty, time to string everything together yeah? Or maybe not. No please, no pitchforks or anything! I'm going to make this short and quick, I've been writing stuff all day, you see. I think I really need to take a good break before I do anything else...the problem is this is all I wanna do!**

 **Any way, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Third person POV

Neal and Rumpelstiltskin begin to talk again, after they move the two sleeping kids to the warmth of the fire. Knowing that Trinity might be easily woken up, Rumpel simply used magic to poof her closer to the fire while Neal moved Henry himself. After an argument about the prophecy given to Rumpel, Neal stands up furious, placing himself instinctively between his father and his kids. Well...one of his kids.

"I can't trust you around them." He says and presses a leaf with squid ink on it to his father's hand. It only takes a few seconds for it to take an effect on the Dark one. Neal looked at the two sleeping kids, preparing to wake up Trinity.

"Hey...hey come on." He says nudging her shoulder when a rustling in the trees alerts him. Rumpelstiltskin attempts to break free from the squid ink as Peter Pan and the lost boys step out of the woods. Neal curses under his breath as Pan steps toward the two sleeping kids.

Pan wonders, how can Trinity be so relaxed as to sleep when he's looking for her? Surely she must've known he would be able to find her quickly this way. He breaks his gaze away to watch with scrutiny as Baelfire glares at him. "I'm a little disappointed." Pan says and his face lights up with dark amusement as Rumpel struggles in the same predicament the father and son had left him in.

"You shouldn't have gotten out of the squid ink so fast." Neal says but Pan simply laughs as he walks closer to the kids, the other lost boys following him by closing in.

"Unless I had help from a certain spring water? You know the one Baelfire." Pan says and kneels beside Trinity, his hand hovering over her perfect sleeping face. Neal moves to attack him but lost boys point spears at him from the wave of Pan's hand. Neal backs down only when Pan stands up. "You know she was mine long before you were able to even imagine protecting her." Pan says harshly but Neal clenches his fist, knowing how wrong that was.

He still remembers meeting her on Neverland, feeling happy that there was one person who had the kindness of a friend in the place of cruel boys. He remembers imagining that he could take her away, and they could go back to the mortal world together. It was never in any romantic kind of way, more like the feelings between her and Henry. Still, he remembers how sad she always seemed when she watched Pan from afar. He remembers her standing up for all of them, bringing Pan from the rages he would work himself into.

* * *

 _Baelfire's POV ~Past~_

" _Peter what's going on anymore!? We used to only bring kids who were truly better off here than with their parents. Now? You're taking any kids you want and trapping them here. Peter those boys want to go home!_ _" Baelfire watched as Trinity argued with Peter Pan, she was the only one that seemed to be able to. "I can hear their mothers every night in the Maze! Peter it's wrong!"_

 _Pan turned on her and glared harshly, grabbing her arm and causing her to gasp in pain. Baelfire moved to jump in, but far from being a damsel in distress Trinity grabbed his arm and ripped his hand off of hers. Peter immediately looked sorry as it dawned on him what he'd done and she hugged him. "Trin...you have to believe me when I say that I'm doing it for us. You, Felix, the lost boys... For everyone on this island. We still have time...but soon we'll start running out. I want to beat this curse before that happens." He said softly as they embraced, barely loud enough for Baelfire to hear._

 _"Peter...I know it's taking it's toll on you, but you're strong. You're going to beat the darkness, I know it." Baelfire watched and gritted his teeth. How could she be so understanding? How could she forgive him so easily?_

* * *

Pan's POV

Pan singled for the lost boys to take Neal away and he put up quite a fight. He enjoyed watching as Rumpel screamed after his son, helpless to do anything with the squid ink binding him. Pan waved his hand and put a sleeping spell over Trinity so she wouldn't be woken. The other lost boys left taking Neal, leaving only Pan, Felix, the sleepers, and Rumpel.

"I know what you're planning Pan, but it's not a good idea. She had a nightmare here, correct?" Rumpel says after taking a few moments to calm himself. Pan raises an eyebrow, curious of what his old friend was on about this time. The thing was, she did have a nightmare, and while she had slept Pan had brushed away her tears before he had to go back to Henry.

"What of it?" Felix asked, lifting the boy onto his shoulder. The old man must be talking about him restoring her memories. He figured if he gave her a drink of the magic spring water it might restore her memories. Then he'd have her back, and everything would be alright. Sure it might take her a while to get over what he has to do to Henry, but it would all be for her, and she'd see that eventually. They would have eternity here to work it out.

"What happened to her after she left this place, Baelfire told me it was awful things. You don't want to bring that back to her, she already gains nightmares from it." He warned as Pan picked her up. She stirred a bit in his arms and he flashed Rumpel the first sign of uncertainty that he had given to the outsiders since they got here.

"Noted." Pan said, recovering quickly. He began to walk away when Felix stopped him with a question.

"What should we do with him?" Felix drawled and Pan shook his head.

"Nothing we have would hold him, leave him there. Let him wonder why he's lost everything that's important to him time and time again."

* * *

Third person POV

The two mothers kept going through the maze, backtracking every time they hit a dead end and retrying on a different route. There was one point, though, that Emma heard Trinity's voice from one direction and Henry's from another, but both paths proved fruitless. The women knew better than to separate from one another, but disagreed often on where the voices were coming from.

Neither of them seemed to realize that the voice of their son was everywhere around them, tricking them into every which way and back again. It was only the voice of another person that finally broke them from their hopeless searching. "Rufio! Rufio where are you?" A female caused them to share a look and prepare themselves.

Moments later the girl turned a corner and stopped abruptly when she saw two unfamiliar women. Even if she wasn't aware of it, her subconscious seemed to register that these were the first other humans she'd seen in very many years.

"Oh... Oh! Have you seen a little boy? I can hear him calling for me, he's about this big please tell me did you see him?" She begged the women for an answer, hope striking in her for the first time in weeks. You see, every once and a while the Maze would make her brother's voice grow louder, leading her to believe that she was finally finding him, only to disappear just as she reached it's source.

Emma put away the sword that she had drawn when she first heard the girl's voice. She looked to be about nineteen or twenty years old. Small strands of her thick and straight red-ish orange hair fell to frame her face, while the rest of it was pulled into a French braid. She had a deep dark blue for her eye color and freckles spotted her face.

She was wearing a pair of dark blue bell bottom jeans and a very light orange shirt, with a much darker orange jacket. Her shoes used to be a dark orange flats, but mud from the bottom of the Maze stained them brown after all the years. She also wore a chain necklace that holds a pendant of orange wings.

"Who are you?" Regina demanded but Emma put a hand in front of her to hold her back.

"We haven't see any little boys, in fact we're looking for one of our own, and a girl." Emma sais slowly and the girl immediately deflated. Regina rolled her eyes and looked over the girl dubiously.

"She's probably just an apparition, a trick. Meanwhile, Henry is close- I can feel it!" Regina exclaimed and started off again, Emma almost began following her, but thought twice before leaving the girl. She too heard Henry's voice become stronger, yet something in her head told her to think things through for a moment.

She had been told before that she shouldn't be so unwilling to trust the impossible. Even so, maybe a little thought was what they needed. "Wait! Regina think about it, we've going at this for how long and he always moves. That's not right." Emma said and Regina stopped and turned around.

"You think we're being tricked?" The girl asked and just like that the spell of the Maze broke. All three of them realized at that moment that it was true, it was all a trick. They had just needed someone to say it, for them all to realize it. Regina cursed and shot fire at the walls of the maze. The huge hedges caught on fire and Emma glared at the woman.

"Great." Emma said and pushed the girl away from the fire. "Come on Regina, we've gotta get out of here." The distressed mother shared the same feelings as the Evil queen, Emma just kept it held in. She wouldn't released her anger on the shrubs, oh no. All of it, every last drop would be used to get her to her kids.

"Oh please!" Regina exclaimed and with a wave of her hand the three appeared outside the maze. The girl stared at her shoes and then looked around, noticing how very different the Neverwood looked from when she first arrived.

Snow, David, and Hook rushed toward the three of them. David and Snow embraced Emma and Hook gave her a smile. Regina scoffed and the girl looked nervously around at the whole group. "Who's she?" Snow asked and Emma shrugged, realizing that she didn't introduce themselves.

"I'm Auria. I was looking for my brother Rufio in the maze... but I was tricked. I think...I think I've been in there for much too long." Auria said and the group shared concerned looks with each other. "Oh...yes...much much too long."

* * *

 **Well that was kind of a shorter chapter I guess. Anyway I've got a ton of stuff to do so I'm out for right now! Thanks so much for reading and have a good day!**


	8. Pipes

**Okaaaaaaay. *stretches* Here we go! I've been pumping out these chapters pretty quickly, but it will most like slow down next week, so this is definitely an unusual thing- I promise!**

 **Alrighty so currently, the narration of the quintet plus one is a bit behind the narration for Trinity and Pan. It'll even out eventually. so don't be confused about them not immediately going after Neal, they'll catch up. Did you like the idea with the Maze? That's what I got from _Peter Pan in Scarlet_. I thought it fit in pretty well. XD I would love for you guys to drop a review and gimme some feedback on this one! **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites already! I love writing this so I hope you enjoy reading it too! XOXO**

 ***disclaimer for all except my OCs***

* * *

Trinity's POV

I crack open my eyes, immediately moving my hand to touch my head. I'm leaning and resting my head against something behind me. My eyes flutter, closing and opening again as if I want to believe I can forget everything and drift in sleep forever. _Come on...wake up!_ Through my groggy, blurry vision I make the flicks of hot flames, a fire. Around the fire the lost boys are dancing with sticks, hooping and hollering like it's the time of their life.

I go to move my other hand but something holds onto it. Confused, and still half asleep, when I turn my head to look at it being held by someone else's hand I only frown slightly. Who's holding my hand?

It's then that I realize whatever I'm leaning against is soft a warm, almost lulling me back into sleep. "You know I mastered being able to play my pipes with one hand, so I could hold yours with my other." A voice says in my ear and I grunt, resting my head once again on whoever's chest it is. "You're still sleepy?" The voice says, who's is it?

"Ah!" I scream, scrambling away from the voice I now recognize as Pan. I pull my hand out of his and hit the relatively cold dirt. Pan laughs and I scrub the sleep out of my eyes. "What the hell!?" I scream, but right after the words come out of my mouth I break into a huge yawn.

"Princess, you're going to get stepped on if you stay down there." Felix says and lifts me up from under my arms. I sneer at him and look around. "Before you ask," Felix drawls with a small smirk gracing his features. "Henry is here, and he's fine." Understanding that Neal and Rumpel's rescue attempt failed, embarrassment creeps up and shows itself on my cheeks.

Thankfully the firelight does well to hide it, and I hold my arms, rubbing them to get warm again. "What about Neal?" I say looking carefully at Pan and he rolls his eyes and sighs.

"He's alive." Is all he says and I nod slightly, thinking that it's probably too dangerous to ask further into it. I spot my bow and arrows against a tree and then look around for Henry. Even as I do, the thought of sleeping in Pan's lap for who knows how long makes my blush grow.

"Henry!" I exclaim once his dancing figure passes me.

"Leave him, he's having fun." Pan says and I frown, watching him as he goes by in the circle of dancing boys. I glance back at Felix, looking him up and down. Something comes to me, and put my hand on my head as a memory flashes through it.

 _~~~"What about you? Why aren't you dancing?" I ask, giving him and teasing grin. He snorts and leans against a tree._

 _"I don't dance." He says with a slight smile._

 _"Pity." I say returning him and mocking sigh and twirl a bit. "You're the perfect height for a good dance partner. See?" I walk over to him and pull his arms so he's standing up straight. "Yep, perfect. Now see Peter over there is much too..." I turn my head and see him standing right behind me. "Short."_

 _"Nonsense. Felix is too tall for you." Peter says, judging the height of both of us. I smirk playfully and look back and forth between Peter and Felix._

 _"You're right, but he may be the perfect height for you!" I say, moving around Peter so I can push him into Felix. Both boys look oddly disgruntled and I laugh, holding my sides. "You two look like you think I'm being serious!" I exclaim between laughs and they grin. I stop laughing and widen my eyes. "What is it?"_

 _The two boys rush me and each grab one of my arms and spin me. I laugh again and when they release me I twirl around, my skirt fluffing out. I squeal as Peter lifts me in the air by my waist and we fall, me landing on top of him. I roll off him and feel Felix lift me up from under my arms._

 _"You're going to get stepped on if you stay down there too long, princess." He says and nods to the boys still dancing around the fire. Peter stands up himself and resumes playing the pipes again. I tilt my head, wondering why he suddenly stopped and shrug, frowning slightly._

 _"Come here." Peter says and I happily trot over to him. "Try this." He says softly, handing me a Pan flute like his own, but slightly different. I examine it carefully and turn it over in my hands._

 _"For me?" I ask and he nods. I grin and blow in one of the pipes, proceeding to gasp at the beautiful note it makes. "It's beautiful!" I exclaim and he grins. Felix looks at it over my shoulder and I admire the wonderful carvings on it. I blow another note and then throw my arms around Peter's neck. "I love it! Thank you!" I say and place a kiss on his cheek._

 _Peter and Felix share something in a glance while I look closer at the pipe. "It's enchanted, so if you start playing a song, it'll carry your fingers with it."~~~_

I blink, how long was I standing there day dreaming? Peter- no Pan steps in front of me and waves a hand in front of my face. "Felix she's definitely gone out somewhere." He says and I snap back to attention and swat his hand away. "Oh! There she is." He says grinning and I roll my eyes. He walks casually back over to his favorite tree stump, the one I was just on with him.

"Oi, come over here." Pan says and I raise an eyebrow. I cross my arms and take a few steps toward him before stopping. He makes a big show of sighing. "Closer."

"What is it?" I ask, narrowing my eyes and walking the rest of the distance. He produces the same pipe from my memory33, and I gasp. I take it and look over it, not being able to help a small smile pull the sides of my mouth up. "...F-for me?" I whisper and I look up at him and see him smile again, pushing back the darkness with a smile that reached his eyes gracefully.

"It's enchanted, so you might be able to play a tune if you just let your fingers go with the magic." He says and I feel nostalgia come from somewhere in me. I used to know the tune enchanted for these pipes, I can feel it. My eyes close as I try to remember the song.

I want to remember it all! The song, my life here, my life before this- everything. My lip quivers a bit when I can't figure out the tune for the song, and I grip the pipe so my hands don't shake. Pan had resumed playing his pipes, but now stopped. "What's wrong?" He asks and I slowly drop to my knees.

My attempts to hold them in prove futile as tears fall down my cheeks slowly, one at a time. Pan kneels down in front of me and then scoops me up in his arms. "Flying now." He whispers and suddenly we're in the air. I fling my arms around his neck, terrified but relieved at the same time. I don't want Henry to see me crying, even if he wouldn't notice while seduced by the music.

We touch down and I lift my head up to recognize the tree house. He opens the door and sets me down on the bed. I wipe my eyes, the tears slowing down. Pan turns around so his back is towards me, and I suddenly imagine him comforting me. Holding me to his chest and whispering that it's okay.

Was that myself, or from a concealed memory?

"What was it?" Pan says, and I flinch from the raw anger in his tone. "Why were you crying? Shouldn't the pipes have made you happy?" He yells and I widen my eyes. He turns to me, his eyes filled with dark fury, his nostrils flaring from breathing through his nose while his jaw is clenched.

I stare at him, and suddenly more tears fall down my face. I cry out, sobbing suddenly, my cries echoing around the silent room. Whoever I was before when I was here, my heart aches for her. Whoever I fell in love with, whoever gave me that pipe the first time, my heart longs for him. Whoever it was...

he is not the person standing in front of me.

* * *

Auria's POV

Auria sighs, holding her hands over the fire made by the odd looking group. They stand at edge, wary of her because they think she's some kind of dangerous being. Maybe once, she could've been. But now? Now she's just the same wingless fairy she always was before she lost her brother, wearing some dumb pendant as if it might help her find them.

She's just a dumb girl, who fell into trap. Who lost her fine life with the other fairies. Auria doesn't know exactly how long she was in that maze, but judging from the strange group that claimed to be from Earth, Maine to be exact, she figures it's been a long time.

Too long.

"Hey..." A voice alerts her and she looks up to see the blonde one named Emma join her at the fire. "Aren't you going to sleep a bit?" She says and Auria shakes her head.

"I was consciously asleep for many years in that place, you and that other woman woke me up. Thank you." Auria says, her voice slightly laced with a Scottish accent, showing itself every few words. "I won't need sleep again for a little while." Emma bites her lip a bit but nods.

"How long were you in there?" Emma asks and she shakes her head, shrugging a bit.

"If only I knew." She whispers and turns back to the fire, relishing the warmth not felt by her hands for years. "What is your plan? To rescue your son?" She asks and Emma sighs.

"Hook, that's the man with the Hook on his hand, suggested that we go find a woman...get this, Tinker Bell." Emma says grimly and Auria tilts her head.

"Why would you think she'd be here?" She asks and remembers the young fairy from her time before the maze. They had been friends before Auria had stolen the magic beans to follow her brother. It had taken her to a place without magic, where she had adorned the clothes she wears now. She had planned to go back with the other bean, but she ended up using it to get to Neverland. From there she had been promptly trapped by the maze. "She should be with the other fairies back in the Enchanted Forest." Tink had helped her steal the beans, and probably got in trouble for it herself. What would she think if she saw what it all amounted to?

Emma looks taken aback at this, and nervously coughs to hide her surprise, but she's not very good at hiding it. "I'm sorry, I guess because of your clothes we all assumed you were from our world. You seemed familiar with it..."

Auria chuckles a bit, spare a smile. "No worries, I was once in that world of yours, you see. It's wear I got these garments...I'm quite fond of them actually." She says pulling at the threads of her fraying jacket.

"Yeah...okay...well Tinker Bell is here, and according to Hook she has been for a while. Maybe you could come with us...your brother might still be here." At this Auria looks up quickly from the fire, surprised. After all this time, how could the possibility still be alive?

"You think so? Wouldn't he be a man already? Wouldn't he have already left this island?" She whispers and Emma gives her a small smile.

"Well, no one really ages here. Yeah it's weird but it's probably why you're still up and kicking." Emma says and Auria breaths out a bit of a relieved breath.

"I thought that was just the cruel spell of that damned maze...If that's the case then yes! Please allow me to come with you! I have to find him!" She proclaims, determined. Emma nods and gives her a grim smile.

"It won't be easy."

"I think I have discovered that for myself."

* * *

 **Alrighty, I think I'll post this one in the morning, since I already posted one earlier today. To be honest these are a lot easier to write than some of my other stories, since these chapters are much shorter. In this next one I'm thinking about hitting fast forward trough the whole Regina and Tinker Bell stuff... what do you think? Thanks so much for reading this one and have a good day! XOXO**


	9. Tink

**Hello my lovelies! How are you doing? Geeze you know you've been at your computer too much when you've got crumbs in the keys and get winded when you try to blow them out... oh well! I'm starting to get super hyped about Auria and I apologize for going by the script a lot in this one, I'm trying to slide into her character.**

 **Incorporating her in feels smoother this way instead skipping all the original scenes. To make up for it I'm kinda tweaking the lines just a bit to make it more interesting. Maybe it's just me, but I get so bored hearing the same things happen over and over again in fanfictions. Am I being hypocritical?**

 **Probably.**

 **Anyway thank you so much for reading my dears and I hope you enjoy this one too! I've gotten tons of views on this and I'm kinda surprised to be honest! Not that I'm complaining, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if a few more people dropped a review. Even if its just a tiny one? XD Well I would just really appreciate it if you did, but I'm so much fun writing this anyway! Actually I got a review while I was writing this and legit squealed like it started snowing.**

 **It already snowed, actually. I can't find my yard.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Auria's POV

She climbs up the ladder last, hauling herself into the treehouse. The group glances around the mostly barren room, and Auria stares sadly at the uncomfortable looking hammock. Not that she has had the best living quarters the past years, but it is so different from the flowers they used to live in.

"This reminds me of some place." Emma says, looking around the room.

"Perhaps it reminds you of your own lodgings?" Auria suggest to Emma and the woman nods in agreement. Without another word Emma moves to check out the porch like area of the tree house and she lets her hand brush aimlessly on the walls. As a fairy who strived to help others before, Auria had grown into an amazing intuition with most things. She is good at reading people.

"This is just a place to sleep, there might not be anything important here." Snow White says and Auria nods, she doesn't feel any traces of pixie dust, although she hasn't yet told the group that she might be able to feel it out. If it is in good condition, the pixie dust should glow when she touches it. Then again, Auria isn't a fairy anymore.

She listens into the strange mother and daughter discuss things about the past. She hasn't quite grasped the whole curse thing that they briefly informed her about on the trek to the treehouse. Snow White was a princess that Auria had once heard about. What the woman was doing here was very unclear to her, but they had promised to explain in detail when they go back to their land.

"Just why does she have a ladder? Fairies have wings, couldn't she fly up?" Snow white asks and Auria turns to her.

"Not all fairies." She says abruptly and then corrects herself. "Besides, to fly you need pixie dust, she might be preserving it for later purposes." She says and before the two can respond the man David holds something up.

"Guys I've found something." He says, holding up Regina's handkerchief.

"Isn't that Regina's? How did it get here?" Snow exclaims and Auria hitches a breath.

"Tink must've been tracking her, watching her." She concludes and thanks the stars that no one them notices her use of a nickname. It's been a long time but Tink has a lovely ring to it.

"Hold on, if she's been watching her.." Emma says slowly and Hook grimaces.

"We're in the wrong place." The pirate concludes.

"Regina.." David murmurs and Auria follows the others quickly down the ladder.

* * *

The others quickly pull out their assortment of weapons and Auria conceals herself behind Hook, wondering if she should show herself to Tink. She left her and never came back. She knows how precious few chances fairies get, because if you can't make the right choices yourself how can you help others do the same?

"Where is she?" Emma demands and Tink holds up her hands, looking extremely bewildered. If Tink was able to meet this woman and try to help her after Auria was gone, it must've mean they gave her another chance. Judging by her grudge against the woman Regina, Auria assumes the evil queen was her last.

"Who the hell are you?" Tink says and Auria widens her eyes. Wow, she's changed a lot...she never used to cuss.

"A pissed off mother! Where is she?" Emma demands and everyone stands on edge. Tink looks around at them all and Auria shrinks a bit when Hooks shifts. He raises his eyebrow at her but shifts again so she's unseen.

"I'm fine...I'm fine." Regina says stepping out of the cave like place they were in. Auria sighs a bit, happy that Tink didn't kill her. Maybe this way there's still a chance for her.

"Would you mind lowering those? If you stick me I'll drag you down with me." Tink says and Auria blinks, now that does sound like Tink.

"She won't hurt us, she's alright. You don't have to be on edge with her." Regina says and everyone reluctantly lowers their weapons, just maybe not their guard.

"Is she going to help us?" Hook asks

"Would you look what the tide washed in. Hook." Tinker bell says, "And I see you behind him." Auria flinches and slowly steps out from behind Hook. She looks nervously at the other fairy and Tinker Bell gasps. "Auria! You're alive!?"

"Yes." Auria says softly and Regina groans.

"You know her?" The evil queen complains, as if it was somehow Auria's fault that she had to face the fairy.

"Knew her. It's been a very long time since we last spoke." Auria says and Tink presses her lips together.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Snow asks with slightly narrowed eyes and Auria shrugs.

"I did not think it mattered that much." She says and Tink sighs.

"How...did you come here with these people?" Tink asks "You had the beans...I don't understand."

"It's a long story, but I was trapped here on the island...in the maze... But I might still have a chance to get Rufio back, even after all this time." Auria explains and Tink nods, but then shakes her head.

"You want me to help you again." Tink says thoughtfully and Auria nods.

"Can you get us inside Pan's compound?" Emma demands and Tink stares hard at me.

"The last time I helped some one it ended badly for me, and so did the time before that. Why should I risk my neck again after already feeling the consequences twice?" Tink says, nodding to Regina and Auria in turn. Auria bites her lip, aware that she failed after she and Tinker Bell went through so much. That failure hits her as much as it does Tink, probably even more.

"We'll take you with us. When we leave." Snow suggests and Tinker Bell looks up at this. "You want to go home, don't you?" Tink decides quickly, as if she doesn't want her to take it back.

"Fine. Listen up, I can get inside myself, but after I do we'll need a plan to get the rest of you in." She says and Auria smiles for the first time since she entered the Maze all thos years ago. Tinker Bell nods her, giving a slight grimace in return.

"We should get back to camp to discuss this." Hook says and everyone nods in agreement. Emma and Hook lead the way and Auria follows with Tink behind her. Tink puts a hand on her arm and looks at her closely. Auria does the same to her, and then Tink falls behind her while they move through the jungle like place.

"I'm sorry for failing Tink." Auria says and Tinker Bell shakes her head, looking as regretful as she does.

"You haven't, not yet."

* * *

 _"Tink! Tinker Bell! Wheeere aaare youuu!?" Auria screamed into the wind, on the border of the fairies territory. Her flower home, unlike Tink's and the rest, was on the ground. even if she wanted to go up into Pixie Hollow, she was an outlaw amongst them now. Tink and her had plans to meet here, before Auria left for her brother._

 _"Shush or you'll get us both caught." Tinker Bell said, flying to the ground and folding her wings once her feet touched the ground. "Have you got everything ready, then?"_

 _"Yes, just about. I need one last thing." Auria said breathlessly and threw her arms around her best friends neck, giving and receiving a huge hug. "Wish me luck?"_

 _"All of it." Tink smiled. "Promise you'll come back safe and sound?"_

 _"Cross my heart. What about you? Did Blue find out you helped me?" Auria asked and Tink shook her head with a happy smile on her face._

 _"We'll tell her together when you come back after saving your brother. She'll how good we've done if you bring back some other stolen boys too." Tink promised and Auria nodded, pulling out the bean._

 _"I will be going now then."_

 _"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Tink asked but Auria immediately shook her head. She knew very well how hard Tink was trying to prove herself. There's now way she can take that away from her now._

 _"No, you must stay here. Don't worry- I'll be back soon." Auria crossed her heart with her hand and then threw the bean on the ground. "Take me to Rufio!"_

 _"Stop!" A new voice yelled and the two young fairies turned and saw the Blue fairy flying down._

 _"Go!" Tink yelled and Auria nodded, jumping into the portal without a second look. Tink could've pretended that she was trying to stop Auria, but instead she stayed true to their friendship and now had to take the punishment alone. Auria closed her eyes and was shot into the air for a second before landing on the ground._

 _She looked up and around, she had landed in a forest somewhere. She spots light in the distance and gasps, her eyes wandering across a strange town. Auria had never seen this bright of a place at night before! She stands up and brushes off her orange skirt. After checking that she had everything, her other bean, her wing pendant, her pouch of fairy dust, and her small sack of gold coins, she started off toward the strange town._

 _"My brother has to be here...somewhere!"_

* * *

Trinity's POV

I finally sit up, sniffling and wiping my eyes for the last time. Pan left several minutes ago after yelling some more. My hand drifts to my cheek and my fingers brush slightly over the red mark that's sting was beginning to fade. Once again I had protested that I don't know him, and maybe I went too far this time when I said he doesn't know me anymore either. His hand flew too fast for me to prepare myself, and now my shock was quickly fading into hurt.

"Go to hell Pan." I grumble and stand up, remembering his yelled order to stay where I was. Maybe I will, but not because you said so. I don't even know where this place is. I'm not about to go and get myself lost because my feelings are hurt.

"If only." A familiar voice says and I recognize Crimson. She appears on my bed and I gasp, happy to see a friendly face. "You did well with the flame. Honestly I think your magic is being bound by something, I can't tell what yet."

"Crim!" I exclaim and she smiles. I frown and point a finger at her. "How could you leave me like that?! I was all alone and he...he.." I sit back down on the bed and hold back more tears, emotionally worn out. Crim winces and brushes a wispy finger on my cheek.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm so sorry but we can only be out for a certain amount of time each day. I didn't realize my time had run out so fast. I can't believe he hit you! I'm so going to roast him one day!" She says quickly and I laugh.

"I get it...It must be morning now huh?" She nods and I gain an idea. "Hey Crim...you said something before about making me forget about you guys. Do you think if you can manipulate my memory you can bring back my memories of Pan?" She presses her wispy lips together and shakes her head.

"Sorry girl, we were only able to take away the memories of us." A new voice speaks up and I turn and see the other two green and blue girls standing in front of the thick tree trunk in the center. "We're not even sure if we can return _those_ memories." The blue one says and I nod.

"Besides, we should just ditch this place as soon as possible. I never like it here!" The green one says with a sneer looking around the room. Crim smirks and the blue girl rolls her eyes.

"Uhm...I still don't know- remember your names." I say and the blue one smiles. She has a dark skin tone and curly brown hair that flows down to her mid back. Her dress is similar to Crim's but it's blue and wavy, ruffling in various places. Her eyes are a blue-ish grey, like a storm.

"You're doing well for not freaking out. I'm Myrtle." She says and I nod with a small smile on my face. I think I'm starting to get used to this. Ha, take that deity of plot twists! Gimme all you got...actually don't- I like being able to take things. I really don't want those three kids I joked about earlier.

"Please, her sanity is probably hanging on a thread at this point." The green girl says. She has Asian features and her silky black hair is pulled up into a sporty ponytail. She has a different dress, same style but this one has a whole so her stomach is showing, and has long sleeves that disconnect from the actual dress at her shoulders. Vines hold the sleeves to her arms and she crosses them and snorts. "I'm Luna."

"Pretty names." I say and Luna rolls her eyes.

"You gave 'em to us so yeah you would think that." Luna says sassily and Myrtle elbows her, causing me to chuckle. Still, Luna grins a bit and I wonder how I could ever forget them.

"Luna, you said something about ditching this place..." I say and glance at Crim, who raises an eyebrow. "I'm starting to agree with that." I smirk and look at them with a glint in my eyes. "Us plus three, that is." I hear footsteps suddenly rap against the wooden floor and stand up quickly. ' _Go!_ ' I mouth and the three disappear again.

"Trin?" A voice says and I cross my arms, shifting my weight to one leg as Pan walks in. I take in his apologetic expression and roll my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You know you are the worst, most spoiled brat I have ever- ...you just apologized?" I say, beginning a rant but stopping abruptly. He winces and nods. I narrow my eyes and feel a slight bit of betrayal rise in me. "You hit me."

"I know... I'm so sorry." He says softly and holds out a small vile of something. My hurt and anger ebbing, I take it and peer at it closely. "It's spring water, it has healing properties. If you drink it, your memories might come back." He explains and I pop it open without hesitation. My head tips back and I feel the cool, normal tasting water slide easily down my throat.

* * *

 **Oh Jeezus please don't condemn me for my descriptions of Trinity's spirit girls! I apologize but how else was I supposed to get the point across? *Touches head, chest, and then shoulders* Alrighty now that that's cleared up did you enjoy this one? I sure had a good time writing it, especially the part with Auria and Tink meeting again! I'm thinking about changing the description so that it fits her in. Anyway, have a good evening and thanks for reading!**


	10. Ice

**Snow, snow, and oh look... more snow! There's just snow everywhere! (The cold stuff, not our favorite badass princess.)**

 **Wow, well I'm just so happy with how this one is going, and I really appreciate you guys! Thanks so much for reading and I guess we'll just get right to it, yeah? Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Trinity's POV

I let out a groan of frustration and chuck the vile at the wall with all my might. Dammit! I turn so my back is to Pan, hiding how upset I am that I haven't remembered anything yet. It didn't work. I was so ready to remember, to understand. I take slow, deep breaths. Maybe he'll just leave...or will he get mad again?

His hand brushes my elbow and I flinch and take a step away, twisting my hip so I look at him for a second. He looks at me with troubled, guilty eyes. I hold my arms to my chest, remembering the hurt I felt when he hit me. Still, when we're alone he shows so much more emotion. "I'm so sorry...I won't ever hit you again, I promise." He says and I know deep down I believe that he's truly sorry. He just has such a temper, just like a little kid.

"You shouldn't make promises you don't know you'll keep." I say softly and his eyes tighten. I stare at him levelly, not afraid. He sighs and holds out his hand. My instinct is to slap his hand away and laugh at the idea of me taking it after what he did, but my heart speaks to me. Not with words, but by moving my hand into his.

I don't think it's the spring water jogging some type of feeling. I think a part of me always felt like I knew Pan, maybe even felt something more. He strokes my hand with his thumb softly, he takes a step towards me but I take a step back. Sorry, hand holding is as far as I'll let my heart go. Everything beyond is promptly overridden by common sense.

Pan raises an eyebrow and pulls out his pipes, grinning a bit. I watch him carefully as he leads me over to sit on the bed. He hops onto the desk and starts playing a slow, familiar tune. It's different from the ones he plays for the lost boys, though it does have the same...essence to it.

"That was beautiful." I whisper once the song ends, and he grins and quirks an eyebrow.

"Do you remember it? I used to play it all the time for you." He say and slides off the desk, moving so he's standing in front of where I'm sitting. I look up at him, frowning slightly as his hand brushes my cheek. "I'm glad you still like it." He takes my hand again and brings it up to his lips.

I stand up, but don't pull my hand away. My heart pounds uncontrollably in my chest, and his closeness makes it hard to breathe. What am I doing? What happened to that overriding system? "Did I really...were we really...?"

"The last words you said to me before you left were 'I love you'" He answers softly, but with a slight husk to his voice. The idea of denying it anymore is futile in my mind. The override is being overridden! Abort. Error. Malfunction.

"What about you? If I hadn't left...what would you have said?" I ask and he cups my left cheek with the hand that's not holding my own. He holds it there while he moves so mouth is next to my ear.

"Trinity I love you. Ever since the first time I heard you laugh. I love you." His breath tickles my ear and I sigh, closing my eyes. My heart thuds, teasing me and laughing in my face. 'How is that override working now?' It seems to taunt.

I slowly open my eyes again and see his face in front of me. "You're very close there Mr. Peter Pan." I say and he grins slightly, moving his eyebrows a bit as he responds.

"Not _too_ close?" He asks and I widen my eyes. The darkness I see in his eyes seem to be being pushed back, and his eyes are once again clear of it. The darkness... maybe he's trying hard to fight it?

"You know I've been here for a while and I haven't brushed my teeth or showered and after that training with Felix I probably smell really bad so maybe you should just step back a bit..." He shuts my ramblings up by kissing me, and for the first time since I'd gotten back here I returned it.

My eyes close and my heart sighs happily as if it had finally reached some type of finish line and was now able to walk a bit. It's still breathing heavily from the long run, and the lungs heave for air. The precious few seconds of the kiss are irreplaceable, but it doesn't last long.

I pull back as something interrupts my current train of thoughts, or thought. Pan has to catch me as my knees go out and suddenly the only thing I remember is cold. So much cold... The present comes back to me and I stare forward blankly as Pan calls my name.

"Trin! Trinity what's wrong?!" He demands and I cough, feeling as if I can't get any air into my lungs. Where am I? In the treehouse with Pan of course, but where is my mind trying to take me? He lays me down on the bed and kneels next to me. "Trinity!?"

"It's okay.." I murmur as I close my eyes, imagining a window in front of me, showing me a glimpse of a warehouse of some kind. "I think I'm remembering something..." I blink my eyes open and sit up on the bed. While massaging my forehead I glance at the shattered glass vile next to the wall, trying to bring my mind away from wherever it's aiming to go. "I wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Pan demands and I meet his eyes, not being able to stop my hands from shaking.

What I had always remembered was waking up in a hospital bed with Neal sitting in the room. He had told me that I had fallen into a frozen lake, and that things might be fuzzy, but he would take care of the hospital bill for me. After that I had made a deal to help him with his work if he let me stay with me. He took care of me after that and I had always thanked my lucky stars I met a guy nice enough not to just send me back to the orphanage.

Now, however, I remember something else. Opening my eyes and half of my body falling forward, while the rest is being held up by something cold. I'm dressed in some tight fitting rubber suit and my hair is wet and cold. Everything's cold really, but I can feel warmth somewhere in front of me.

" _Oh my god...you're alive."_ A voice says, passing through my mind quickly. I can't remember much else, but one picture burns into my mind, making my whole body join with my shaking hands. 'These were hardly people at all' Rumpel had said.

'It's better for you not to have to remember that.' The one thing that sticks out to me, making me sick to my stomach, is an image of the lower half of my body encase in a slowly melting ice.

"I'm wondering if Rumpelstiltskin was right"

* * *

Third Person POV

 _They walked by, allowing their boss to admire the new prize they had. For years their secret organization had been itching to work on an actual specimen of magic, and now they were finally able to gain incredibly useful knowledge from one of the first magical beings to appear on earth. However, they lacked the necessary equipment to any proper analysis on the subject._

 _"A fine preservation. Are you completely certain that it will survive in a suspended state?" Their boss, a short woman with bobbed brown hair. She dresses herself sophisticatedly for the manner of work she overlooks. The two merely minor workers that were showing the woman around were star struck to see the head of their organization here._

 _"Absolutely positive, ma'am." One male with thick glasses said. They had used the finest technology money could buy, most of them investing their own personal savings to acquire it, all so that future scientist could work on it. It was noble in their eyes, but they paid no concern to the desires of the specimen. After all it was different, a more blessed being that must've been given to them by a god. It's purpose was only for humans to be able to learn from it, an example._

 _Essentially, everyone in the building were madmen._

 _Even so, the madmen had complete control over the situation. Unlike Trinity, who would stay preserved in ice for approximately twenty more years._

 _"Good. It must stay alive. If anything happens to it there will be consequences!"_

 _~Years later~_

 _Neal brought the hotdog up to his mouth, preparing to have another quiet, depressing evening in New York. Ever since the day he had to leave Emma, nothing seemed right. Of course it was too late now to do anything about it, he just hoped it would be the right decision in the end._

 _"Hey you. Listen up." A voice said out of nowhere as Neal chewed the hotdog bite. He widened his eyes as the man who had forced him to leave Emma sat down on the bench next to him. Neal nearly choked, but managed to swallow the bite down. "I need your help."_

 _"Excuse me? You son of a bitch, what makes you think I'd help you with anything!?" Neal demanded in a whispered tone as people passed by on the edge of the street, the sun beginning to set. "Get lost before I change my mind about not beating the hell out of you." Anger fueled him, reminding him of just how much he missed her._

 _"Okay yeah, you can do that later alright? For now, when you were in...that place. Did you ever meet a young girl by the first name of Trinity?" The man asked quickly and Neal held his hands up._

 _"Slow down, where are you even going with this? Listen I'm not going to help you." Neal said, even though then name Trinity made him clench his fist. He'd met her before, sure, just not where this man thought. "Get lost." He motioned with his hand, hardly even wanting to look at the man. It couldn't be the same girl, just a coincidence right?_

 _"Okay okay, listen there's this organization down in Maine. They found this girl a decade or two ago. Her name is Trinity, brown hair brown eyes? They claim she's some magic being who is the key to a more advanced civilization. They've kept her frozen in ice since they found her. Soon, though, they're going to unfreeze her...and there's no way she's going to stay alive for long." Pinocchio said quickly and Neal narrowed his eyes. I_

 _"How do you even know this, why should I believe you? Why do you care? Why should_ I _care?" He asked and Pinocchio grimaced._

 _"I saw her for myself. Look we have to get her out because whether or not she is from our world, she's in danger. I need you to help me get her out, there no one else who can." The man whispered urgently and Neal cursed._

 _"What was she wearing?" He finally said softly after moments of silence._

 _"Some kind of tunic, brown with a belt and designs, like drawings, on the fabric. There was also a over hang, like a large scarf or short cloak over her shoulders. At least that's what they said she was wearing when they found her. Why, did you know her?" The man described her using gestures with his hands, and Neal listened closely, a sinking feeling growing in his gut. It was her._

 _"Maybe...when do we go?"_

 _"Right now. Call me August by the way." The two men stood up and Neal chucked the half eaten hotdog into a trashcan._

 _"Neal. Listen, this is all on one condition. After we're done I never have to see your face again."_

 _"Deal."_

 _~Days Later~_

 _"Oi! August, we're gonna have friends soon!" Neal yelled over to the man who was currently trying to defrost the girl in ice. Neal almost didn't want to see her, not wanting to believe that she was here for so long instead of living happily somewhere. All that time it's what he had hoped for her._

 _"Can you deal with them? I'm a little busy!" August yelled back and Neal cursed at him under his breath. He fiddled with some control system and set off the fire alarm, sprinkler systems drenching the place. "Good job!" August called._

 _"Focus!" Neal yelled back and picked up a chair and bashed it over a workers head. A small old woman, with hair in a bun, hobbled over to him._

 _"You fool. It is our right to examine the specimen! You will suffer the consequences for this." She said before hobbling away. Neither Neal or August was very worried, considering they would never let this out. They can't exactly go complaining to the police about how someone broke into their office for human experimentation._

 _"I got it! Neal help me with her!" August called and Neal punched the door closed and ran over. His eyes grew in diameter when he saw the girl's upper body slump over, while the rest of it was still melting._

 _"Oh my god...you're alive." Neal gasps and reaches his hand out to gently touch her shoulder. He quickly sobered himself, knowing very well it was not the worst thing he had seen happen._

 _"Let's get her out of here before more come." August said softly, and the two men caught her as the rest of the ice finally melted, and she groaned before falling deeply unconscious._

 _"Stay with us Trin..." Neal said, lifting her into his arms as the two men raced out of the building. She was so cold.. "Stay with us."_

* * *

Auria's POV

"You're a fairy? Is there anything else you'd like to tell us!? Even if they don't matter so much?" The evil queen says grouchily, making Auria flinch a bit. She lightly touches the pendant on her neck, trying to think of anything else this strange group may need to know.

"I'm sorry but it's been quite a while since anything I said was important." It was true, Auria had always been treated as lesser. Of course the other fairies would never say it out loud or _openly_ treat her badly, but her home away from the others was always a clear sign. She didn't have wings, never had and probably never will.

All the places that fairies went to eat, read, and help others requires flying. Everything was harder for her. Still, she had always done her best, and Auria knew that the other fairies were aware of her determination.

"Don't badger her woman, it's not like we all don't have things to keep to ourselves." Tinker Bell snaps, giving Auria a sorry glance. "You were stuck in that damn maze this whole time, and I never knew. I should've gotten you out when I first got here!" She says harshly, mostly to herself.

"It's not your fault. If I had come back successfully with Rufio, then maybe things would've been better for you. Maybe you wouldn't have had to come here in the first place." Auria said softly. Tink shakes her head, sighing softly.

"No, for me maybe it was always inevitable that I would be kicked out of that place... I was never a very good fairy.." Tink says and Auria laughs. Tink looks up at her sharply, along with Emma and Snow, who were working on a fire while the men were gathering wood and Regina was preparing provisions.

She calms her laughter quickly, looking sheepishly at the other women. "You broke the rules, knowing the consequences, all so you could help another woman find love. You made it so she would find her true love? You could've done that for yourself and ran away, leaving on your own accord instead of being humiliated. I'd say that's better than any other fairy." Auria says and Tink quickly wraps her arms around the girl.

"You still have to tell me about how you got here. What happened after you used the bean, don't you have another still? Is that how we're getting out?" Tink asks quickly once she ended the hug. Auria shakes her head sadly, even though she noticed the others grow interested at the idea.

"I'm afraid not. I used the first bean and went to this very odd world, where these others went to as well. It was because Pan had brought the boys there to pick up some more before going back to Neverland. When I finally realized he wasn't there, I was forced to use my second bean to follow him again- that time landing in Neverland. I was only here for a short time before I was caught in the maze." She concludes and Tink thinks for a moment.

"Alright then, it wasn't your fault at all. You just did what you had to." Tinker Bell says and Regina groans again.

"Now that we're done with that, can we get to rescuing my son?" The woman exclaims and Snow stands up form the fire.

"and Trinity." Snow says and Auria coughs a bit.

"Rufio too."

"Yes, Yes okay!" Regina snaps and sits down on a log. "We're planning some big rescue, I get it."

"Do you not worry about the girl Trinity as much as your son?" Auria asks and Regina rolls her eyes.

"Of course I worry about her! I just know she can hold her own when she wants to. I doubt she'll be fooled by any of Pan's nonsense. Henry on the other hand..." Regina trails off, biting her lip.

"Henry was able to believe that a group of normal seeming people were from fairy tales." Emma finishes and Auria tilts her head.

"So you can either see that as believing things very easily, or not being fooled very easily." Auria points out and Emma and Regina seem surprised about it. "I'm sure, if the boy is as faithful as you say, he must be believing in you right now. You should believe in him too."

Emma sits down next to her on the log when Tink stands up. After a few minutes of silence, the entire group appearing to contemplate what she just said, including Auria herself, Tink begins setting up an example of Pan's camp. They discuss it and soon everyone has the whole idea of what we'll be doing. Until that one pesky little detail about getting off the island comes to mind.

Tink storms off when the group admits they don't have a plan, and offers for Auria to come with her. Snow and David stop her, though, saying that while Tinker Bell was safe on her own, Auria would be better off with the group. She agreed to staying with them, having started to warm up to the strange group.

"One last thing." Tinker Bell says, appearing to have remembered something before she left. "Did you say Trinity? As in the girl Trinity?"

"Yes, why?" Emma asked and Tink chuckled darkly before giving them a pitying look.

"I've never met her, but she was here for a while with Pan before I came to Neverland. He's been looking for her for a while, so I wonder if she knew about this before she came here." With that Tink left the group to digest the suggestion that Trinity wasn't all she seemed to be. Deciding that they had no time to lose, the group discusses it while Hook leads them to a place he says might have something for them.

Auria doesn't know who the girl Trinity is, or what she's like, but the group seems to put their faith in good people. So why would they put their faith in someone who was a traitor?

"Aye, the girl was here before. I remember seeing her when I spent my time here." Hook says and Emma whacks him lightly in the arm.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" She demands and he shakes his head, giving her father David a look to return the one he received.

"I inquired her about it when we first met, and the lass had no memory of it. Once I had decided she was telling the truth I left it alone. I don't believe she ever remembered it, so I don't think we have to worry about it. She would never have had a hand in the boy and herself coming here." Hook reassures them all and Auria glances up at the look on the woman Emma's face.

"It's not that we think she betrayed us or Henry." David says, rubbing his side a bit with a pained expression on his face. Auria listens in, looking from face to face of the distressed bunch.

"We're worried about her." Snow finishes and Emma frowns.

"Just what the hell does Pan want with them!?" Emma exclaims and pushes ahead, even though Auria knows Emma has no idea where they're going. Hook runs to catch up with her and Auria sighs. Looks like everyone's got it hard around here, a whole group of fairies with no wings.

* * *

 **Wow this is a long one! I just couldn't stop I guess. Sorry, but this one was hastily edited, so if there's any big mistakes just...eh...adlib it! Anyway I'm super tired so I really hope you guys enjoyed this one, and have a good evening! Thanks!**


	11. Lost

**Oof! Mirror mirror made of myth, whose point of view should I start with? I hope you guys understand that while I have a general idea of the plot line for this story, most of it is come up with on the spot while I'm writing it.**

 **So today with this one I think we're gonna go a bit into Peter's past, I'm once again not sure how it was taken on during the show- but its not important since we're not going down that path anyway. I still think the whole Malcom thing is just...ew. Besides it's way more emotional for what the original stories had for him.**

 **It's kinda sloppy, this chapter, but I'll go into more detail some later time I swear!**

 **As always I really appreciate all of you guys and holy mackerel I've gotten a lot of views for this story! For all of you who have stuck with it this far I love you! Thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter! (Burned the midnight oil for this one!)**

* * *

Peter's POV

He gently rolls the blankets over her and stands up, watching her sleep with a pained look on his face. For a while he's been wondering, just how does she do it to him? How does she make him love her? He sighs and walks out, catching the sound of her turning. Once he's outside he flies down to the ground and walks through the trees. Her treehouse was purposefully built here so she would have some privacy, but now it's just as good at hiding her from the outsiders.

 _"Okay Peter, here's the deal. I'll stay here on a condition. I want a home, a place where I can go back to that doesn't move with the rest of you're camp. It doesn't have to be much, but there's no way I'm gonna stay sane babysitting a bunch of boys unless I know I can have privacy at the end of the day."_ He chuckles, remembering when she had first come here. They first met because she was somehow able to hear the song meant for special boys. She explained it as probably some sort of confused sexuality thing she'd have to deal with when she was older.

He still doesn't understand that. Still, she said that when she listened to the song and looked into the fire, she saw images and heard whispers. Earlier Peter had given the boy Henry a slip of paper, which she had drawn in her sketchbook during the first year she was here.

At first Peter had only demanded that she stay on Neverland because what she had said and drawn matched up perfectly with what his shadow had told him when he arrived on Neverland. However, after he had showed her Skull Rock and the shadow told both of them what Peter would have to do to the boy she drew, Trinity refused wholehearted.

 _"You can't take someone else's life because you want to stay young! If Neverland has to go...if you have to start growing older...would it be that bad?"_ Peter grits his teeth and places his hand on a tree to hold himself up. They fought for weeks about it, but eventually when he had agreed not to do it everything was alright between them.

But he hadn't told her everything, and as time passed he had grown darker and darker with the clock's ticking.

* * *

 _~Past~_

 _A little boy had a very small world, never having strayed far from his family's home. Sure,_ _the land they owned was vast, but here in the enchanted forest young ones usually put value in different things then how much land their family owned. He could explore it all he wanted, but what he truly wished for was something different._

 _"Momma! Momma look what I found!" The little man held up a squirming insect to his mother, who sat in a white and light pink satin dress, sowing a quilt. "Do ya like it?"_

 _"Oh Peter! Quickly get that thing away from here! Go shoo! You'll get your aunt's birthday present dirty!" The little boy's mother exclaimed and gasped in surprised when the little boy proudly showed her the bug. He shrank away quickly after his mother freaked out, and held the bug to his chest, not hiding the betrayal in his eyes. "Go! Don't give me that look young man you know exactly what's been done wrong!"_

 _Peter turned and ran away, dropping the bug as he went. His mother called after him but he had gotten the picture. The little boy had spent hours trying to catch the bug, and thought for sure his momma would be proud of him. Instead it was just the same as always... he was always ruining it for someone else. His poor aunt, getting a little bit of dirt on her fancy quilt._

 _Peter stopped at his favorite spot to play, a patch of sand by the river that ran through his family's land. It was only a few minutes from his house, but it still gave him plenty of privacy. Not that he wanted it. What he wanted was friends to play with since his family never did. He wanted his mom to care about what he did._

 _"Oi look...I'll bet he's the kid of that nice noble family around these parts." A new voice said and Peter looked up to see three big men looming over him, grinning like they'd struck gold._

 _"We can ransom 'im for a fine price I'd say." Another one pointed out but Peter put his fists up._

 _"Oh look he's trying to be tough. Grab a sack Loren." The first one said. Peter backed away quickly, stepping onto the stones in the river._

 _"Oi, don't try to be all tough now. Be a good boy and you won't have to get hurt." Peter didn't want to be caught by those men, 'I'd just cause more trouble for momma.' he thought bitterly, yet as he was backing up- pushed farther by the oppressing men- his foot slipped on a wet river stone._

 _"AH! Kid!" One of the men called as Peter fell and descended into the tumbling water. The cold autumn chill of the river hit him hard and his little limbs tried desperately to fight the overwhelming current. Too much for him, he was losing energy fast and the only thing keeping his eyes open was the will to return to his family._

 _'But they don't want me...' The thought crossed through his head as the little boy closed his eyes to the bubbling, rumbling current. He drifted into unconsciousness as the river pulled him farther and farther away from the only place he'd ever known._

 _His tiny world was going to get a lot bigger, too quickly._

* * *

 _~One week later~_

 _"I have to get back home." The little boy said to the one who had saved him from the river. He was another boy of the same age, but different looks. Unlike Peter's family this boy had dirty blonde hair and wore rags that didn't hardly seem fitting for wearing. When this boy had grabbed him from the river he had dragged him back up to the small inn that his family ran._

 _It had taken Peter a week to recover enough to stand and move around, even so the other boys parents still weren't sure he would make it out of it. Still, Peter insisted, knowing that his momma would surely be worrying about him. Truthfully it gave the young one a small bit of pleasure, imagining his mother worrying over him. Not what he'd done, but what had been done unto him._

 _"Yeah, yeah." The blonde boy said, grumbling about having to watch over Peter. "We get it. But mum's already saids that you can't go around anywhere yet." Peter shrunk a bit, wondering what he should do. He decided that he would leave that night, even if it took all of his energy. "Oi." Peter looked up at the boy, who had walked closer to him. "What's yer name?"_

 _"Peter." He said sheepishly and the other boy grinned._

 _"What a fancy name yeh've got. My own is Felix. Mum thinks that you come from some rich family. Is it true?" Felix asked and Peter recognized his tone as the one his mom always used when questioning Peter about things he shouldn't be doing. So Peter shook his little head yes very slowly, hoping the other boy wouldn't notice._

 _"Richer than you I suppose." Peter said and Felix broke into laughter._

 _"Maybe in coins but not in luck! Wanna try yours with a game?"_

* * *

 _Ever since that interaction the boys became friends, and Peter steadily got better. Felix's mom was more than ready to send him home and receive some type of compensation for taking care of him. She'd never wanted the boy to stay in her inn anyway, but it had been her husband who convinced her to take care of the boy._

 _Felix taught Peter a bigger sense of adventure, something the boy had never been exposed to within his family. Catching bugs was as exciting as his life had ever gotten. With Felix, however, Peter grew more into what a young boy like himself is usually like. Full of himself, to a cute extent._

 _Then, right when they were planning to take him back to his home, a blizzard struck the town. Winter had begun, and the snow wouldn't let up until spring came. Not that Peter minded that much. While he missed his home, he enjoyed being around Felix and the other boys of the village, especially when they had snow to play in._

 _When the snow melted and Winter finally came to pass, Felix asked Peter to stay. Obliged by their new friendship, Peter agreed to spend a little more time with his friend, figuring his family wound always be ready for him when he came back. Spring passed and the busy months of summer came, but with it also came death._

 _A sickness passed through the village, and it took with it Felix's parents. Left with no one, the two boys set out to finally find Peter's home. They counted on the hope that Peter's richer family would be able to take in Felix as well, despite the little devil he was. While they searched, following the river, they passed through several more towns._

 _They were indeed stopped by many who didn't trust small children to be able to move about safely, but the two had started to learn more about the world. They experienced many things, met many people, and discovered a great many things. Some about themselves, and some about others._

 _Eventually, months after they'd set off, they found Peter's home again. Eagerly, Peter had knocked on the door repeatedly, but no one came to answer him._

 _"Momma?" The boy had called, when he already asked Felix to stay a little bit away. Yet again, nothing in the house seemed to stir. Peter moved around the side of it until he found a window, and crawled up onto it._

 _Awful things are said to children sometimes, but what Peter's mother said to him when she saw her own child in the window was despicable. Just like the day he'd last seen her, she shooed him off- not even considering the possibility that it was her own son. She only saw a scruffy hooligan, nothing like the boy she'd tried to raise._

 _To her, to that family, Peter had been dead for months. Now, sitting in a cradle, was a sweet little girl would be raised as the perfect daughter the family wanted. Peter's mother had been devastated when he left, but was looking forward to a new chance with her daughter. Her legitimate daughter._

 _Distraught, for obvious reasons, Peter and Felix left that hope of family behind. They went to find someplace to work, somewhere to live, and, most days, something to eat. After a few months of traveling, they were finally taken in by a few sweet woman who spun wool._

 _They lived with them, and the boy they took care of. The boy had lost his father on a recent night to his gambling and drinking addiction. They boy's name was Rumpelstiltskin._

* * *

 **Oh geezums guys. I'm sorry if this one was kinda sloppy. I'm super tired and honestly wondering what I'm doing still up this late. Anyway, it's a bit of a change of pace, I know. I'm planning on eventually, someday, having another story, like a prequel, where I detail backstories more. For now, forgive me if there are a lot of typos...still super tired here. Thank you for reading and please have a good evening/morning!**


	12. Pazi

**Hey guys! In case you haven't noticed, these chapters are getting farther and farther apart. The big boom of these is, sadly, coming to a close. The daily life that was interrupted by my friend Jonas (the snow storm) is gonna be coming back soon. I'll try my best to get the chapters out as much as I can, weekends will probably be more fruitful than weekdays.**

 **Well, just like last one was all about Pan, this one is all Trinity. I'm thinking next chapter I'll do an all Auria one and then we'll get back into the regular way that they're mixed, yeah?**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this one and just to make it clear, I did change up Pan's backstory from the show. I never liked how they just kinda threw Malcom in their 'cause it fit. Basically Rumpel's father will have the same story and appearance, he'll just have died after leaving Rumpel with the spinning women. I will continue later on with how Pan got to Neverland, in this version.**

 **Thank you for all the support! Let's dive in!**

* * *

Trinity's POV

After Pan is gone, I sit up on my bed and look around, trying to imagine living in this place for ten years. My head throbs, reminding me of the memories trying to press at my consciousness. Yeah, I've had enough of that for now. So far I remember being with these scientist people for a while, but I was drugged and sedated so everything is a real blur.

From what I can make out, I was poked and prodded, tested to see what I would do. I think I blasted a bunch of them with fire at one point...and maybe grew a tree in their lab. It's more than fuzzy, let's just say that. Whatever I did, they somehow conjured up the logic that it was best to preserve me in that ice.

Right? I totally agree... NOT! What kind of loons actually think it's okay to do that to anyone? To me...

I guess I'm still looking at is as almost an out of body experience. It's some else, not me, I was always a normal girl.

'Ha! Not anymore!' Shut up, reality.

Groaning, I push against the throbbing headache by standing up and walking to this dresser that seems to have some clothes in it. I open it up and see several different outfits and giggle at the idea of some girl picking out her outfit for a wonderful day of getting it totally wrecked on Neverland. My giggling stops once the realization strikes me that I would've the one doing that.

I sigh and push off the dresser and walk to the journal on the desk that looks like it hasn't been touched in eons. Not a single dusty finger print lay on it. Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, I proceed to blow a huge gust of air against it, but to my surprise no dust comes off of it. I open my eyes and try again, but this time see a magical barrier appear around it.

"Weird..." I murmur to myself, reaching out to touch it but holding back. If this was my own journal...it shouldn't be blocked to me, right?

"You put a spell on it!" A child's voice says, making me jump out of my skin. Spinning around quickly, I see a boy with dark skin tone and curly brown hair in my doorway. He doesn't look more than nine years old, but judging from the supply he has and the outfit he's wearing, I'd wager he's been here a while. The boys seem to have different stages of outfits by how long they've been here.

My hand covers my mouth to prevent myself from exclaiming a few unnecessary curses and the little boy grins. "Did I now?" I say with a strained tone and straighten myself, receiving a strange feeling from the kid beaming up at me. I place a hand on my hip and my lip twist up in a bit of a grin.

"Mmhmm, you did it so no one but yourself could open it. 'Cept you told the secret word to another two. So I guess no one but three." He says in a boyish tone but clear words. Yep, he's definitely been here for a good few decades.

"Who?" My curiosity gets the better of me, and I wonder if I shouldn't be buying in so easily to the kid's game. What harm could come from it? Lots...lots of harm.

"Me!" He squealed and I widen my eyes. "Want me to tell you?" I narrow my eyes and nod, not missing the small look of disappointed in his eyes. "Well not yet! You've got ta prove your the real deal first!"

"Me?" I remark, placing a hand on my chest. Well no one has asked that of me yet, but it does make sense. "Alright kid, what do I do?"

"If I show ya this.." He starts and pulls a large centipede from his pocket. "What do ya do?" I bend down to take a closer look at the still squirming creature.

* * *

 _~Past~_

 _"Trinity look! Look!" Pazi's voice says, interrupting my duel with Felix. I break off from it, much to Felix's annoyance, and kneel down next to the kid. "I caught it!" Pazi is a new lost boy, and I guess he took a liking to me, but this is the first time he's tried to show me one of his catches. He likes to catch all kinds of creepy crawlies..._

 _"Bug, can't you see she was in the middle of something." Felix drawls leaning against a tree and I turn and stick my tongue out at him. As I do, I catch Peter flying down, probably from finishing his daily check for the Native tribe._

 _When I turn back to Pazi, I gasp to see a large centipede squirming in my face. "Pazi!" I exclaim and he freezes, lowering his hand a bit, looking as if I'd scolded him. "Geeze you surprised me! You shouldn't put things in peoples faces like that...but wow that's amazing! Look at how big it is!" I say, and he beams._

 _"It took forever!" Pazi says proudly and I nod._

 _"All by yourself too? That's amazing!" I stand up as Pazi runs away, satisfied with how impressed I was. I chuckle and smile after him, he's so adorable. When I turn around to talk to Peter and Felix, I find them both staring at me surprised. "What is it?"_

 _"You shouldn't fuel his ego." Peter says stiffly with an unreadable expression on his face, and I snort._

 _"Coming from you?" I say and he grins. I laugh and hold up the sword I was using to duel Felix with earlier, and we continue our fight. It's my loss this time, because I can't help but be distracted by Peter, whose eyes never left me._

* * *

~Back to the Future~ ;)

"To begin, I would ask you why on earth you would keep this poor thing in your pocket!? How long has it been there?" I demand and he shrugs nonchalantly.

"Took me a week to catch one. They're wicked fast!"

"My that's impressive!" I exclaim and wonder if the kid is exaggerating. "You must be very proud, showing it to your friends!" He beams up at me and shoves it back inside his pocket. I frown and mentally plan to get him to release it later.

"One more thing!" He says and he pulls something out of his pocket that causes me to scream. A spider. The boy keeps a warrior of hell in his pocket!? The little boy grins and throws the spider out the door and off the treehouse. "You pass!"

Five seconds later I'm looming over him, glaring down. "How many more of those do you have?" I demand in a whispered tone and I swear for a second he looks scared of me. Before I let my glare drop, he evacuates his pockets of the rest of his creepy crawlies, all except for the centipede which he begged to keep. "No more arachnids in the treehouse." I say before sighing and looking at him curiously.

"Sorry...I knew you didn't like 'em so I thought it would prove you're really Trinity." His apologetic tone makes me chuckle lightly and I run a hand through my hair. "But I believe it now! I'll tell you your secret word!" He says and marches in. I smile a bit as he stands up on the chair to be the same height as me. "Trigonometry!"

"Excuse me?" I exclaim, but the spell on the book disappears and the hard leather cover flies open. Trigonometry? Really?

The boy shrugs and I give him a dubious look. "You said it was 'cause not a one on this island would know what it meant. I would've forgotten meself to be honest." I rememeber that he mentioned two other people knew it, and brush my hand over the front page with my name scrawled on it. "Trinity?"

"Yes...hold on what's your name?"

"Everyone calls me Bug, but you always called me Pazi." He explains and plunks himself down in the seat. Pazi? "You always called the memebers of your band by their real names. Anywho, I've got a real big favor to ask ya." Wait...the members of my band? I open my mouth to question him on it, but he flies right by. "Yeh see it's 'bout Pan."

"What about him?" I ask, resisting the urge to wipe my lips at the mention of his name. Whatever came over me...I hope it doesn't happen again. I was probably just delusional from the spring water...sure.

"He's...somethings wrong with him. Only us of your band have noticed...all of the other lost boys seemed to join him." He carries on and I hold up my hand.

"Not to be self centered, but I'm going to need a refresher on this whole 'band' of mine." I say and he frowns.

"Right, sorry forgot 'bout that. There's about four of us who came to be more loyal to you then Pan. I guess we've still been loyal to 'im, but we would always listen to you first." He explains and I nod. This could be very useful. Although I do wonder why this is the first time I've heard about this...did Felix purposely distract me?

"Okay...carry on." I say and he grows a sad look on his face.

"It's just that...even when you were here Pan kept getting harsher and harsher. He used to not take boys that were unwilling to come...but now he does all the time. Even if he stopped with Henry." Pazi says and I frown. So I have been seeing all that darkness in him after all.

"You want me to help?" I guess and he nods.

"He was lots better when you were here...everything was." Out of some sudden impulse, I hug the kid. He wraps his small arms around my waist and sniffles a bit.

"I'm sorry for leaving Pazi. I'm sorry for forgetting. Still, if you really believe that I can do it.." I push back form the hug and give a grin that glares with my own certainty. Something has to be done. If I've learned anything from the Charming family it's that you always help those you can. It's what makes you special. "Then we'll stop this freight train in it's tracks."

"It s'okay! You should come outside! The twins, two of the other boys in your band, are waiting below. They're called Hopper and Thumper, but to you they went by Al and Ollie." Pazi says and jumps down from the chair, pulling me along by my hand. I glance back at the journal and my wardrobe.

"Pazi, you tell them I'll be down in a minute. I've got to change."

Several minutes later I swing down the ladder with a whole new outfit on. I have a dark blue tunic with fraying leather belt around the middle of my stomach. I might've been just a tad slimmer when I was last here, but the clothes seemed to shift to fit me. You know, you'd think a girl could go five minutes without running into something enchanted. There's also leggings in a pale jean-like fabric that has cuffs in three places on my legs with pockets and spots to hold things. One on my middle right thigh, one on my left calf, and one on my left ankle.

I tie my hair in a French braid and even decide to sport a fraying fabric choker that was lying at the bottom of the wardrobe. My shoes are small leather boots that lace up from the middle of my foot. Finally, I pull a dim teal, short cloak over my shoulders once I hit the ground.

"Trinity!" Two boys call out, looking exactly the same. The launch themselves around my waist and send my sprawling to the ground. "Pazi said you don't remember us!" They wail at the same time and I pull the three of us to our feet. The twins look older than Pazi, maybe a little younger or the same age as Henry.

"Sorry, but maybe we can start again with names?" I suggest trying to find differences between the two. "Which is which?"

"No one knows." They once again speak in unison and I frown. They laugh and shake their heads. They have long blonde hair, but one has green eyes and one has blue.

"Just kidding." The left one says. "I'm Al!"

"And I'm Ollie!" The right one says and I nod. Okay...I can totally do this.

"Pazi." I say as he beams up at me. "Where's the forth one?" Pazi looks surprised for a second and then looks down at the ground with a frown.

"Pan told him to guard the Echo caves, don't know why though. Oh I forgot to tell ya! He be the other one that knows your secret word!" Pazi says and I nod.

"What's his name?"

"Shade is what everyone calls him., 'cause he's gloomy all the time." I think about this for a second, but nothing rings a bell. Geeze things would be so much easier if I just had all of my memories back. Then again...nope it would definitely be easier.

"What did I call him?" I ask humorously, knowing by now that there was some reason I didn't call them by their nicknames. I look around, surveying the place we're at. Yep...a whole lot of jungle. Still, in the Peter Pan movies there was that tribe of Natives... I can't imagine there's not some other types of biomes around here.

"Rufio!" The twins say at once and I nod and stretch. My bow is back in camp... I wish I had it on me now. Crim, Myrtle, and Luna would also be super helpful in their spirit forms. Come to think of it, I wonder why they haven't come back yet?

Too many things swim in my head at once and I decide to focus on the task at hand. Just one step at a time...

"Alright boys, first things first...we have to find out what's actually been causing Pan to go all Dark Side on us." I say and Pazi rolls his eyes.

"We already know that." He says and I raise an eyebrow. "It's Neverland's curse."

* * *

 **Okaaaaaaaaaaay. Let's just say the number of a's represent how much longer my day has felt than normal. Wow...geezums... Alrighty well I wasn't expecting to get this one out tonight...I also wasn't expecting it to be as it is. I'm not quite sure I'm entirely happy with it, but I guess it gets the point across yeah? XD I really hope you enjoyed this one and I hope all the elements of it aren't getting to be too...much? Sometimes I think this story is gonna be too ambitious and just end up crashing and burning... But dOn'T wOrRy! I'll put sweat and blood into this before I let that happen! Anyway thanks for reading and have a good evening my lovelies! (Autocorrect tried to fix my random capitalization! How rude, right?)**


	13. Left

**Alrighty. This is the Auria one! Oh I'm so pumped for this! (She says knowing full well that she was avoiding it for an hour.) Shush over-informative parentheses! Pff, I wasn't avoiding it I was simply taking a mind break for a few minutes...**

 **Yeah anyway, like I said last time this is our little orange fairy's time to shine. Or not. Who knows really? Frankly I'm never entirely sure how these chapters are gonna go- I MEAN! I totally have this stuff locked down!**

 **(Not really.) SHUSH YOU! ...Maybe I'm just going slightly insane. You know the little red ~ that goes under your words when they're misspelled? Yeah well sometimes my computer will randomly start that in a paragraph and just keeps going for who knows how long and geezums it annoys me. VeRy MuCh!**

 **Okay so kind of a thing about this chapter and the next. There was a lot I wanted to do in this one but...well...I guess there was just a lot more than I expected. Therefore I'm probably ('probably' implies that it's not for certain by the way) going to do another all Auria chapter. After that the two groups should be roughly caught up with themselves.**

 **Okie doke well, I really hope you enjoy this one as I am starting to debate which is my favorite, Trinity or Auria? I suppose you guys don't know what I've got planned...but ohhh is it good. Thanks for reading! Firelily out.**

 **Or in. There's still the chapter to do... *awkward crickets***

* * *

Auria's POV

She pauses from the vine weaving they'd taken on after resting a bit from going to 'Neal's' cave. From what she's gathered recently, these people really have an issue with misplacing their group members. ' _Coming from me..._ ' Auria tilts her head up to stare at the sky and twists the wing pendent with her fingers. Call her crazy, but she always found a certain feeling of reassurance with it.

Like something about it was meant to comfort her. She supposes it's the reason she put so much effort into being a fairy. Fairies are born from a baby's first laugh, but Auria wonders just what baby made her. You see it has to be a special laugh...not just any can create a fairy. Then there'd be way too many of us.

Although Auria knows that her very existence was rare in itself, the fact that she didn't have wings, when she first came to be, was almost unheard of. Nobody had seen a wingless fairy in years... and the thing is they generally didn't mean anything good. She could go into a whole day trying to explain a fairies life to someone, but normal people generally just don't get it. Flying is... it's what dignifies us as fairies.

You can't just walk up to anyone and say, 'OI! I'm a fairy! Let me help you with your problems!' You see, unless you have wings to prove that you are indeed a fairy, it's really hard to believe someone when they say that. Honestly, would you? Yeah...she didn't think so. Being without wings is almost a bad omen.

Blue gave her the pendent the day that she arrived, and told her how it would most likely be harder for her. If only Auria had known then just where she'd end up, maybe she wouldn't still be chasing after her brother after sacrificing her entire life for him. She thought the majority of her existence would be doing good things, not spending and x amount of years in a maze.

"David, we need more vines." Snow says gently as her husband drops a whole bundle. They don't have much, but a plan to capture a few lost boys and get them to spill is enough to keep everyone working. Except for Hook, that is. Auria finishes up with her recent vine and snags another to weave into the rest of them. David nods, and drags the pirate along with him, but something sets her off.

David should be a strong man, and he doesn't appear to have any dispositions. So just why is he breathing so heavily? She sets her rope down on her lap and stands up. "Um...I actually need to stretch my legs a bit. I think I'll go gather some vines as well." Auria says and walks quickly into the forest, trying to be as natural as she can.

She doesn't go through the same path as David and Hook, but figures she can meet them out in the trees somewhere. Or, you know, maybe just listen in without them finding her. She grabs vines along the way, but mostly listens for the two, hoping that they'll make enough noise fighting like they always do.

"Well it's a good thing you're gonna die, isn't it then?" She catches Hooks voice and widens her eyes, stopping in her tracks. What? What did he just say? The rest of their conversation is muffled by the noise she makes moving through the jungle, but she does hear someone yell.

"Mate! Mate?" Hook says as she breaks through the trees to see him lightly smacking David's face. She gasps, but even as Hook glances up at her he takes more precedence in trying to wake the man up than explain what's happening to her. "Help me with him." He says and she knows then that he didn't hurt the man, unlike what could be assumed.

She obliges and kneels down to help the pirate pour alcohol into David's mouth. After a few gulps David gasps and sits up, making a face at the taste of the alcohol. "I'm fine...I'm fine." The man repeats as Hook and Auria struggle to push him into a sitting position.

"You're lying! What's wrong with him?" Auria asks, directing the question more to Hook. Not that she wants to be right about her assumption that something was off, but it's crystal now. When no one answers her question she looks between the two males faces before pointing back to camp. "I will bring your wife into this." She says threateningly and David winces.

"Let us see." Hook says softly before repeating it louder over David's protests. He lifts up his shirt and Auria gasps upon seeing a dark grey set of veins expanding from a cut on the man's right side. "It's almost reached you heart." Hook says and she shakes her head.

"Dreamshade? That poison the lost boys coat the arrow tips with, you guys warned me about it but you've already..." Auria whispers and then clenches her jaw. "You have to tell them."

"No...not when I can still help them save Henry and Trinity. I'll just slow them down.." He groans out and she blinks back tears.

"You have hours now." Hook says with a pitying look on his face. Auria shakes her head. How can he do this to himself? To them? David tries to stand up, but a light push from Hook easily keeps him down. "Rest for a moment so you can keep going for as long a you can."

Auria's heart squeezes as the once strong man takes heaving breaths as he leans against the wall of stone. His eyes bright with determination, but slowly blinking dimmer and dimmer because of the certainty of his doomed fate. Her eyes are falling on a dying man who hasn't accepted yet just what tragedy his death will bring.

* * *

 _~You got this by now yeah? To the past!~_

 _Auria ran through the rain, not bothering to stop and take shelter since she knew the house wasn't far now. Every month she would spend three weeks with the fairies and one week at her adoptive family's house. They were the first people she'd ever helped reach a happy ending, and they considered her one of their own._

 _She rapped against the door, eager to get out of the rain. It was quickly open and she stepped in and pulled off her cloak so it could dry. Auria expected to see Ani's smile, as she always did when she came home, but instead the eldest child of the household standing in front of her looked solemn._

 _"What's wrong?" She asked teasingly, wondering what could bring such a cheerful woman down to such a slump. It was at that moment that she realized Rufio, Ani's brother, hadn't yet greeted her. Every time she came back the boy would welcome her and they'd spend the evening talking. "Where's Rufio?"_

 _"He's..." Ani's voice cracked on the one word and Auria did a mental double take to make sure she wasn't imagining the tears in Ani's eyes. A sinking feeling in her stomach made her legs move on their own and she made it to the boy's bedroom before gasping in surprise. In the room Auria saw Elizabeth, the kids' mother, sobbing at the window._

 _Her husband Arnold comforted her and looked up with glistening eyes of his own when Auria walked in. Rufio's bedroom was a mess, with things tossed everywhere in disarray._

 _"Oh Auria." Arnold says and Elizabeth looks up at her. Auria moves quickly as the older woman opened her arms. They hugged, even though Auria still wasn't sure what had happened. It was obvious that Rufio was gone...but how? While the worried mother let out her distress, Arnold explain in one short name. "Peter Pan." Auria narrowed her eyes, not understanding until the man handed her a slip of parchment with messy words scribble on it._

 _'Peter Pan Never Fails'_

* * *

~You got this one too! Future time!~

She watches with wide eyes as David picks up something from the ground, perhaps finding something peculiar about the out of place gleam of gold. Auria squeezes her eyes shut, wondering how he can bother with something so simple when he's going to die. She should help him. It's her goal as a fairy right?

But she's not a fairy anymore. She doesn't even have any dust.

Auria snaps out of her lack of attention, realizing she's wallowing in this more than the man actually dying. "It was my captain's...my brother's. He lost it on a bag in a duel with Pan but...I'm surprised it lasted this long. Perhaps if it did, something else lasted as well." Hook says and Auria glares at the interest David takes in it.

"Something...?" David asks and leaves the question up in the air.

"A sextant. But no...it's too dangerous." Hook answers and glancing at Auria meaningfully when his back is turned to David. She eyes him suspiciously, but wonders if the pirate is actually onto something. In his eyes he's asking her something that David can't see, yet the hero was taking the pirate's bait.

"What's too dangerous?" David demands and stands up. Auria offers to help him, but the man shakes his head to refuse it.

"It's on top of Dead Man's Peak." Hook says like it makes complete sense to them.

"If it can help us save David...?" She suggests but Hook flashes her a wink that David doesn't see.

"Maybe not...but it could-"

"Help us save the kids?" David interrupts Hook and Auria rolls her eyes. This man really needs some priority checks. If he doesn't realize he own importance to his family and his friends...he'll end up hurting them more than he thinks he could be helping them.

"It could help us decode Neal's star map, and get off this island." Hook says and Auria narrows her eyes. It's a lie. She can tell immediately, even if David is too...you know...on the verge of death to pick it up.

She twists her lips as the great hero proclaims that retrieving the sextant for his family would be his last hours. Auria feels a deep pang of emotions throb through her for the two woman waiting for him back at the camp. Her eyes started to sting, and she stuck a hand out to block him as the man tried to return to the camp to prepare to go.

He may be able to keep Hook at bay... but if there is anything Auria knows for certain, it's that leaving like this is wrong. If he'll really die before he gets back...how can he give up his family? How can he make his lasts breath be heaved without them beside him?

"No. You're not going." She says and a frustrated look graces his features. Auria looks to the ground for a moment, unsure of what she's really trying to do. "You can't die up there. Hook and I will go, and when we return..."

"I'll be dead already. I have to do something to help my family." He insists, causing Auria to look up sharply at him. Her outstretched arms turns to him and she points a finger at the sickly man.

"Help? In what sense are you helping them? You can't just _leave_ them without saying goodbye! Without being there for them at least!" She says, getting angry, but he returns to her a pair of defiant gleams in his eyes.

"You don't understand. I don't want to go and drag them down. I don't want them to be delayed by mourning for me." He says, glancing at her pointed finger almost nervously. She's not sure, but she thinks she might be growling slightly. She knows her anger shouldn't be directed at the man, but Auria can't help it.

"You can't...You cannot just _leave_ them!" She strangles out the words before taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "He _left_ me. He never told me why, he just _left_." Her hand drops and she blinks as several tears fall down her face, surprising both of the men. Now isn't the time to give him a lecture about her life, no. Right now he needed to at least go say goodbye. "If you don't...If you don't properly say goodbye I will tell them. The only reason I haven't yet is because if they knew you were planning on keeping this from them...Not only would they be heartbroken, they would be betrayed too."

* * *

 _~Continuing from our last blast to the past~_

 _"Rufio!" She called out into the woods, wondering how much luck she'd even get with finding him and this Peter Pan guy. What was he doing trying to take kids from their homes? "Come on!" She screamed in frustration before hearing the whooping of kids in the distance. She looked around and tried to spot them, and clenched her fist when the flicker of a campfire appears through the trees._

 _She took off in a dead sprint, pounding hard toward the campfire as if it would disappear and she'd have to start from scratch all over again. She caught sight of boys dancing around a fire and proceeded to skid to a stop. She took deep breath as she surveyed the group._

 _She opened her mouth to call for Rufio again, but nobody answered before. She would bet that from that distance, along with the volume she was yelling at, someone should've been able to hear something. That meant that either Rufio chose not to answer her, or wasn't here._

 _"Peter Pan?" She said instead and a cloaked figure stepped out from the ring of dancing boys to greet her. Okay, definitely not the latter then._

 _"How can I help you?" He said and pulled off the hood to reveal a strikingly handsome face. His dark green eyes were graced with mischievousness and anticipation._

 _"Rufio. Is he here?" She posed the question as if she wasn't sure, but this guy had left from pretty big clues. Her eyes scanned the crowd of boys and saw one with particularly familiar dusty blonde hair. "Nevermind, there he is." She moved to go grab him, but Peter Pan intercepted her._

 _"Why are you looking for him? You're not from that family, I would've seen you before. Did they really hire someone else to get their kid? Typical." The boy said, but Auria could see masked pain behind the words he was trying to speak lightly._

 _"I'm- he's..." She looked past the teenager and stared hard at the boy behind a mask, who she could tell was staring at her too. "He's my little brother. I don't know what you've done, but I'm taking him home."_

* * *

 **Let's just say, whenever you start thinking in third person, narrating what you're doing, it might be time to consider ending the chapter and taking a nap. Another tip, if you ever start writing a fanfiction of a TV show be prepared to have frustrating moments where you want to continue but can't cause you need to rewatch that one scene. Also those times when you've written half a chapter before you completely forgot about that one part in the show and oh geeze you skipped the plot of an entire episode!**

 **Fun times.**

 **Anywho, I'm gonna drop it off here for tonight and continue tomorrow. Hopefully I won't still be referring to myself as 'she should've expected that to happen.' Thank you for reading and please have a good evening! I hope you enjoyed!**


	14. Spill

***Maybe spoiler here? If you haven't already watched the show yet idek what you're doing here soooo***

 **Okay so, a mini rant here. Part of this chapter is about that little bit where they all have to spill their darkest secret right? Well okay so Snow White's darkest secret here is that she wants to have another child to make up for losing Emma and I get that, sure. The thing is though, later in the show it's revealed that David and Snow sent Maleficent's daughter to another world so Emma could grow up good.**

 **Wouldn't that be a bit darker than wanting another child? I mean I get it yeah TV shows have plot holes, especially this one but I dunno, that seems like something you should maybe consider before adding it in ya know?**

 **Aaaaanyway. As much as I'd love to change that little fact, I'm simply to lazy to work through that now.**

 **...**

 **(Maybe that's what they were thinking. "Should we have this make sense?" "I dunno, it's so much work." "Yeah you're right let's just eh...yeah let's just go with plotholes.")**

 **Alrighty well I really hope you enjoy this one and hopefully I'll get another out before Sunday night! Thanks a bunch!**

* * *

Auria's POV

She raises the rock above her head and brings it down on the back of David's, causing the man to fall to the ground. She drops the rock beside her and looks up at Hook for a moment before gesturing to the waterfall behind the dreamshade. "Go on now." She says and kneels down to put David's head on her knees.

"I thought you were supposed to be a bloody fairy!" Hook exclaims, glancing between her and the rock she used to knock out David.

"The water will fix this bump too right?" She asks, brushing the goose egg that is now forming with her fingers. Hook makes a face and then shrugs, pulling up a cloth to protect his face as he starts hacking away at the dreamshade. Several seconds later he comes back out, holding a flask with the water in it.

Auria lightly smacks the hero's face, hoping that he'll wake up so Hook can tell him about the affects of the water, but the man doesn't stir. "I think I him a bit hard...just...here, let me." Hook hands her the flask reluctantly and she pours the water into David's mouth.

A few seconds later and he opens his eyes, gasping. She watches as the bump on his head eases and the vanes of dreamshade that had crept up to her cheek heal and turn back to normal. He looks around and sits up, leaning against a wall of stone. Hook gives him a small, sarcastic like wave, but a relieved smile graces his features. Auria sighs and watches as the man realizes what's happened.

"How...Auria? Where did you go?" David asks and she shrugs. She had gone ahead of them up to the spring, and been confronted by Pan, apparently just like Hook was. Pan had met her here, where the dreamshade and the spring is, and then proceeded to push her down the other side of the mountain.

Not a whole lot of words were exchanged as the little devil had pushed her from behind and she only caught a small glimpse of him before she had to climb up the very steep cliff. After that she'd heard David and Hook arguing and saw the former with a sword at the latter's throat. From then well...you know.

She explains what happened to her and then both her and Hook tell David about the water. David apologizes to Hook as he didn't actually agree to Pan's deal and the three head back down the mountain. They discuss what happened and the two men tell her what Pan said to Hook.

"Have you ever seen Pan before?" David asks, probably wondering how she would know what he looks like if she has never encountered him.

"Once..." She whispers, remembering the night before she left the enchanted forest. "But that was a long time ago." She says, and considers telling them about what had happened to her before. "When he took my brother... he didn't take him unwillingly. He...he wanted to go with him." She sighs and rubs the wing pendent a bit.

"Why did you come so far for him?" Hook asks and offers her the flask of alcohol.

"Because...I was never there the entire time. At the house, that is. I would only be there one week of the month. Over time I guess something happened with him that I didn't notice." She muses after denying the flask. "His parents were always afraid that they would make the same mistakes they made with their first kid."

"So if they were good parents, what made him want to leave?" David asks and she shrugs. The two men seem to get the sense that she's done talking about it, and they walk in silence until the find the women.

David immediately rushes to kiss Snow and Auria's heart fills at the sight. Yes, it's slightly excessive to Emma and Regina, but Auria finds it romantic. After a short conversation about what kinda happened (David didn't really tell the truth) and a cheers to Hook the group breaks up, Auria stretches.

She winces where her shoulder was strained from catching herself on the fall. "Auria, could you help me get some firewood?" Regina asks her and she nods, curious because the queenly woman hardly ever spoke to her. Auria finds a few pieces and heft them up, but her shoulder complains quite a bit. "What's this?" Regina asks with a few pieces of her own.

"Oh...Pan kind of...pushed me down a cliff. I grabbed the side with my this arm and it's a bit sore I guess." Auria explains and the queen sets down her logs.

"Here, let me." Regina's stone face reveales nothing, no emotion, as she waves a hand over Auria's shoulder. She rolls it and the pain seems gone, having been lifted from her by the sorcery. Auria stares at her surprised and the queen rolls her eyes at the young woman's shock. Regina picks up her logs and nods toward the direction of camp. "Come on, we've got enough."

After a few moments, Auria nods and smiles. "Mm, thank you." She says and walks back with her. They set down the small logs in a ring of stones and Regina turns to Emma, who is just walking into the camp. "Where's Hook?" Auria asks, knowing that Emma and the man had hung behind the others.

"Oh...he's...getting firewood or something." Emma says distractedly, and Auria glances at their own pile. They have enough, so she should probably go tell him it's alright. A little time to catch his breath without doing more chores would be good, especially after climbing Dead Man's Peak.

"I'll go get him, then." Auria says and nods to Regina and Emma, then to David and Snow, before trotting back into the woods. She eventually hears voices ahead and stops, not wanting to eavesdrop again, but curious. Who would Hook be talking to other than... "Hook! Is Pan there!?" She calls out, but when she finds the man he's staring off into the trees after something no longer presence.

"Aye, lass." He says once he finally acknowledges her. She looks him over, noticing that he isn't hurt. "Don't worry yourself, it was only a follow up."

"From earlier? What else? You didn't seem nearly as shaken up about that as you do now." Auria notes and Hook raises an eyebrow.

"I really shouldn't underestimate your attention to detail. Do you ever miss anything?" He asks and she shrugs. It's true, she did try to keep an eye on what everything means, and what's changing. ' _Rufio...you missed him._ ' She bites the inside of her cheek and shrugs again.

"What did he say? Unless it's too personal..." She coaxes and the pirate sighs before taking a swig of his flask.

"He simply informed me of something that I don't think should be relayed to Emma quite yet. So will you swear you'll wait until her parents are involved before you go jumping into things?" He says slyly and she frowns, assuming he meant her reaction to David's problem. She nods, and the pirate sighs.

"As long as no one is dying." Auria adds and Hook shakes his head.

"No you missed that by barely a nick. This time, however, we have someone coming back to life, it seems. Henry's father, Emma's...lover died before we came here. At least we _thought_ he did. Now according to Pan he's alive...and in Neverland." Hook says, beginning to head back to the group. Auria had noticed earlier look that he gave Emma, and remembers him saying that he saved David for Emma.

"Oh." Is all she says before hurrying after the pirate.

* * *

 _~PaSt OnCe MoRe~_

 _"He's not going back." Peter Pan said but Auria sneered at him._

 _"Then he can tell me himself!" She exclaimed and finally managed to push past the boy. Rufio would be old enough to get an apprenticeship with the blacksmith this spring. He's always been excited about it. Auria didn't understand what came over him, why he never told them if he was unhappy. She stopped in front of him and he took off his mask. "Rufio, what happened?" She asked softly, her harsh glare melting at the sight of the boy she was so close to._

 _"It's...not important. I'm not going home." He proclaimed without meeting her worried look. Almost as if a spell had been cast, all of the boys stopped dancing and looked at her. She reached out to touch Rufio but he backed away a bit, with a vulnerable look in his eyes._

 _"Where are you going then?" Auria asked, not being able to hide the hurt in her tone._

 _"Neverland." Peter Pan's voice brought up fire in her again, and she turns around sharply to glare at him. He put himself between her and Rufio, gesturing with his hand so he backed up. "Now you have to leave. I'm afraid you're ruining the fun." She glanced back and forth between Peter Pan Rufio, not sure what to do._

 _Some other, stronger looking, boy came up beside Peter and she sent a glare at his smirking face. "What should we do with her then?" The boy drawled and the look he gave her sent chills up her spine. "You think Trinity would like a friend?"_

 _"No." Peter Pan said immediatly as he raised an eyebrow. For a moment the boy blinked, and looked as if he realized something. "We'll leave now, so it won't be a problem. Just get her out of here."_

* * *

~Future~

"The tracks lead to this cave, Neal must be inside." Snow White says and Auria grips the knife that they gave her to use.

"But there are no guards, shouldn't there be some here?" David asks perplexed and she tries to peek inside the cave despite it's pitch black properties.

"Maybe there are some inside?" She suggests but Hook steps forward from the back of the group.

"This isn't a prison that requires guards." The pirate says and everyone shares a confused and wary glance. "Echo caves."

"You've been here before?" Snow asks.

"Half my crew was lost in there, so yes I say I do. The _only_ way to rescue someone from inside is to reveal a secret." Hook says gravely, and Auria's thoughts stop dead in their tracks. What secrets does she have? Well plenty, she's sure, but... most of them childish ones.

"Just any secret?" She asks and Hook shakes his head.

"The darkest secret you hold in yourself. The name Echo Caves come from an old allusion, the deeper the lie the more truth in it's echo. The caves will demand of each of us a secret, something you would never tell to anyone." The pirate's initial worry makes sense to her now.

'What's my darkest secret?' She thinks, and suddenly a thought that had been persisting to penetrate her mind for decades breached.

"This is ridiculous!" Emma says as she leans against a tree, looking quite upset about the news. Auria nods, agreeing with that assumption.

"Don't kill the messenger, love." Hook says and Auria watches as he gains a warmer gleam to his eyes, even with simply talking to the woman.

"How do we even know Neal is still alive?" Emma says, and Auria glances once again to the ominous cave.

"Because this is what Pan wants. For us to go and rescue him." Hook says and it finally makes sense to her.

No sooner did David ask why does Auria nearly drop her dagger with her realization. "So we'll says something that'll make us stop trusting one another. He wants the group to fall apart. It started with Regina! She left because she though it was a waste of time. That's one down." She explains. "Five to go."

Without another word, Auria and the other four walk in. They walk into the deep cave, and spot the man Neal in a cage across a chasm. The man yells Emma's name, but as he does, a huge rock falls down and blocks the path they took to get there.

* * *

~Later~

Auria wipes away tears, from the sadness that they have to live with now. Snow wants a child, but David is stuck on the island. Then Emma says that she was hoping that her love was dead, while Hook has to accept that Emma isn't over Neal. Auria glances over to see Hook smile at her, but it comes off more as a grimace.

Emma and Neal walk back over the bridge, and they all turn to the huge rock blocking their path. For moment Auria looks around for a different way, but then anxiety crashes over her as she realizes what it is. "Oh. My turn I guess."

"It's okay, lass." Hook encourages her and she nods.

"Okay... um..." She takes a deep breath, knowing that while all of the others had another person to tell, all she has is a huge rock. She doesn't even like this rock. "When... when I first set out to find my brother... I didn't think it would take this long. I thought I would find him, bring him back safely and everything would be alright again."

"But I got caught in that stupid maze and it's...it's been _years_ now. I don't even know how many but it must've been a lot because the last time I was in the enchanted forest there was no Evil Queen or Snow White." She pauses, hoping that the rock would move prematurely. Nope? Okay then. "I didn't have much before...but I had Tink and I had a family. Then there were...others too. Now they're probably all gone or grown up."

"My secret is...I think I wish I'd never come to save my brother. I wouldn't have wasted the life I had in a maze. Looking for him...when he didn't even want to be found." The boulder cracks and crumbles into dust, leaving her standing in front of their way out.

She turns to look at the others, but finds them with their weapons out and pointing to something on the right side of the ledge they were on. Auria pulls out her own knife but gasps when she sees a boy walk out from the shadows. "Stop!" David orders but the boy doesn't even glance at him.

He just stares at Auria, and she him. Her knife falls to the ground and the noise of the clatter echoes throughout the caves. She notices his eyes are puffy from tears he must've already wiped away. "Rufio?" She whispers. The boy bolts past her, leaving the cave through the path.

After a split second of shock she turns and follows him, hearing the group behind her following. "Rufio!" She screams, the name feeling almost unwelcome on her tongue after having shouted it for years. She breaks out of the cave and follows after him, hardly noticing that David and Hook kept charging behind her while Emma, Snow, and Neal waited.

Sharp betrayal fuels her anger. She can't make the kid want to come home, she can't make him love her the way she loves him. She can't make him feel anything he's unwilling to feel.

However, she wasted away in that forsaken maze for that boy.

He is going to sit down and have a talk with her, dammit.

* * *

 **Alright everyone, take a deep breath. In...out...in...out. Alrighty now continue with that for the rest of your life ,yeah? It's kinda essential to living. I'm gonna go edit this real quick, and start figuring out what I'm gonna do next. You know, will Rufio elude Auria? Will she catch him? Will she beat the shit out of him? Some one should really tell that girl about chocolate, I've got a feeling she'd like it. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this one! Thanks for reading and have a good evening!**


	15. Manifest

**Well, it's time to get back to our regularly scheduled program! Time for more cliffhangers in the middle of chapters by changing POV's! ...don't hurt me. I'm just kidding, there's not much of this in this one. ( _This one_ )**

 **In other news we have the medieval- Enchanted Forest version of "Hey kid...want some candy?" I'll let you guys find that out for yourselves. This is a pretty informative chapter, in fact I was planning on doing something super dramatic for this one but it may just have to wait for bit yeah?**

 **Well thanks as always for all the support and thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! (I would love a smidgen more reviews those...pleasey?) XD Trust me they are very well appreciated! I really hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Trinity's POV

I hold out my hands like Al and Ollie suggested and think hard about my bow and quiver appearing in them. Our plan is to go to Skull Rock, as apparently that's where Pan got the whole thing about Henry. I was there too, according to them, but slight memory issues are kind of impeding me from remembering. You know, as usual.

"You have to _believe_ it'll be there too." Pazi says and I nod, trying to believe it would be there when I open my eyes. It will be there... it _is_ there. In that second something manifests in my hands and I open my eyes to see the bow and quiver. A short fist bump to all of my gang later and we're off to Skull Rock.

Did I mention how inviting this place sounds? Skull Rock. Lovely, I can only imagine what wonders await us there. After about an hour of getting creeped out by the conversations with the three, these kids are way too smart for their age...appearance, we reach it. I move my hand up to block the sun since the jungle doesn't protect us from it anymore.

Sure enough it's a skull shaped rock. It's also a good ways away from the island, definitely showing no ways of casually strolling over to it.

"That's it? How are we supposed to get there?" I ask and after a few suspicious moments of silence I turn to the kids behind me. Each of them had their own innocent smile which I got the feeling they'd been practicing. "Why do I have a really bad feeling?"

"We uh...we don't know." Al says and I sigh, leaning against a tree on the edge of the jungle. It's not their fault. I was the one who thought of coming here first, to check out this curse thing they explained to me. Apparently Neverland was created from the dreams of kids, a place where they could go and play and use their imagination.

Eventually, though, the kids who originally created it grew up. From then it started to be passed down the generations. Each would have their own Neverland perfect for their own dreams. Then the dark ages came. A shadow passed over everyone's lives. The entire world lived in fear, and the kids weren't growing up with imagination anymore. Instead they grew up doing anything to survive, leaving the era of dreams behind.

Of course I was confused at first, obviously there are many different realms. Like the enchanted forest and my world...Earth I guess? Then there's Wonderland and Neverland too. Apparently the moral from each of these places coexists with the moral from other realms. For example, while the dark ages were going on at Earth, they were also going on in the Enchanted Forest, or Neverland.

Who and how was this figured out? Get this, according to Pazi and the twins I did, with the help of the other lost boys. They all come from different realms. Some from the enchanted forest, some from Earth. We spent years on it. Just before I left, Pazi says that we were close to figuring out a simple way to move through the realms!

Anyway, back to the point. The dark ages obviously ended at some point right? Well when they did, kids had their imaginations back and they came to Neverland again. However, during the dark ages something had...manifested. The shadow that had passed over everyone's lives was, and I guess is, still in Neverland. Just like the kids in the dark ages, it too grew to urge to do whatever it has to for survival.

It survives in only one thing, darkness. That's what the whole curse thing is about. Apparently Neverland is in some sort of hourglass. The more time passes the more darkness falls on the island, and one day we'll run out of the light, and time. That's what he needs Henry for...but what he plans to do with him we don't know yet.

* * *

~ _Peter's POV in the Paaaaast~_

 _He laughed as he ran away from the angry boars who weren't too happy about their young getting caught in Peter and Felix's trap. Leaping up into the air, he grabbed onto the highest branch he could reach of the huge sycamore tree in the middle of the woods. Peter laughed as Felix kept running, shooting Peter a glare as he managed to escape the beasts._

 _"Go across the creek!" Peter advised in a yell, climbing up to a large sturdy branch in the middle of the tree, and reclining against it. He was fourteen as of last week, and the boy hadn't grown any closer to the adult the mistresses who spun wool hoped he would eventually be._

 _The only thing that Peter cared about was avoiding that, to be honest. He'd seen just what adults did, and he'd rather spend his time like he did now, having fun. Not like anyone in this wretched forest lived very long anyway._

 _Suddenly, from above him, a shadow passed over Peter. For a second he thought it was Felix jumping on him after he'd lazed around too long, but what floated in front of Peter wasn't Felix. "What the hell are you?" Peter exclaimed while examining the strange black creature. Normal boys might be afraid of this partially see through black shadow with glowing red eyes, but Peter was more curious._

 _The shadow almost copied Peter's movements, moving and marveling at the boy in the same way he did the shadow. "I am looking for someone. Someone to come with me." The shadow spoke and Peter raised an eyebrow._

 _"Sounds believable, although I'll have you know I'm not afraid of Demons." He said gloatingly and the shadow nodded._

 _"Then why don't you come with me?"_

* * *

Trinity's POV

From what's apparent, everyone in Neverland has grown darker, often oblivously, over the years. Peter, Felix, the lost boys, and everything else. There are still a few, though, who haven't yet been effected. That's the boys in my band. Pazi, Al, Ollie, and Rufio. With them, I'm sure it brings us a huge advantage.

What'd be great is if Crim, Luna, and Myrtle pop back in to help, but...no such luck.

"Okay...is swimming an option?" I suggest but the not-so-subtle head shakes from all of the boys answer me clearly. Alrighty. "Let's get closer to the shore then, maybe we can scope something out?" We move away from the jungle and descend onto a rocky beach.

"The only way we've seen anyone get across..." Al starts off and turns to Ollie.

"is by flying, and the only one who can do that..." Ollie continues.

"is Pan." Al finishes and I furrow my brow. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, my knees buckle and I fall to the ground. I catch myself at the last second and stay there on my knees with one hand on my head and the other holding me up.

"Trinity!" Pazi exclaims and I squeeze my eyes shut. Images flash through my mind. It's all a blur, dullen feelings mismatched with the wrong frame of the memory. More poking and prodding. Awful people in lab coats trying to dissect my genetic codes without ending me in the process.

"What do we do?!" Al and Ollie exclaim at the same time as something the lab coats do makes my whole body burn. I cry out and the hand supporting me snaps to hold myself with the other arm as I curl up on the ground. Pain shoots through, making me loose all focus on what's going on around me.

"Breath Trin..." A familiar voice says and I do as they say, taking in deep breaths. After several minutes of this person rubbing my back, I crack my eyes open. "It's just a memory." The spirity figure of Crim kneels in front of me and I sit up, shaking a bit.

"Yeah.." I croak an agreement out and barely notice how Pazi, Al, and Ollie don't seem fazed by her presence. Ollie hands me a pouch of water and I gulp in down gratefully, the pain in my body fading rapidly. "Thanks."

"What happened?" Pazi asks with a concerned and innocent look gracing his young features.

"Just...remembering things." I say and stand up hesitantly. Boy, I hope that whole phase of my life is over soon. Can't I start having flashbacks on pleasant times in Neverland? That would be great.

"Are you alright?" Al asks and I smile, ruffling his hair.

"Peachy." I respond and look at Crimson curiously. "What's up? Where have you been?" She bites her wispy lip and avoids my gaze for a few seconds.

"Well...funny story. Something is suppressing us here. It didn't happen last time, so we don't quite understand what's going on either. We might be in and out for a while, but don't worry we're always inside you." She says and I roll my eyes and her cheesy statement, despite the intense comfort it actually gave me.

"Well while you're here...I don't suppose there's any way you guys can help us get to that island?" I say with a raised eyebrow. She smirks and checks out the area.

"Why don't you just use a boat?" She asks and Pazi rolls his eyes.

"We haven't got one. And none of us can manifests somethin' that big." He says and Crim sighs exasperatedly and floats away. She goes up the beach a bit onto a small hill. I shrug and motion for the boys to follow her with me, and soon a huge pirate ship comes into sight at the edge of the island. I gasp and shake my head a bit.

"That's Hook's ship! He's here! With Emma and the others on the island!" I exclaim, my eyes lighting up with new inspiration. "We can't sail that thing though, we don't know how." I says and she points at the large ship, but then moves her finger till she's pointing at a small dingy-like boat.

"That we can use!" Al says and this time I bite my lip. They must've used it to get from the big ship to the land. Technically we'd be stealing from Hook...but come on. We can always return it...later... So it' more like borrowing.

I turn to look at the boys and blink upon seeing them all waiting for my verdict. The immediate responsibility of their actions falling to me hits me hard, but I realize just as soon that they trust me. So I have to trust in the fact that they trust me so I must be good enough to be trustworthy.

"Onward then, maties!" I point down to the ship and they grin eagerly and race down like little boys after it. I follow more slowly, still fazed by the episode I had back there, and watch as Crim's figure dims.

"I've got to go...I don't have much time left." She says upset and I smile.

"Don't worry, you helped us enough. Thank you for coming when you did." I say softly, but she disappears before she has a chance to answer. I glance at the woods where the group must've entered when they first got here. I wonder if they've found Neal yet? Emma... I could go after them, try to track them down?

I consider the option, but after glancing down to the boys preparing the dingy, I chuckled and shake my head. There's no way I can abandon them before I fill my promise. We're gonna figure out how to break this curse, and maybe after that I'll have Peter back. Or...you know...Henry too. I crease my brow slightly, wondering if the thought came from me or the lost memories resting inside my consciousness.

* * *

Peter's POV

He paces in the camp, noticing with a grudge that Henry was seeming different from before. More cheerful? Hook had refused the deal, which pisses him off even more. All of the slight setback was almost enough to make him forget about what had happened with Trintiy.

Almost.

With a whistle he calls to his shadow, at the edge of the camp, and whispers to it alone. "You have to leave Neverland a bit, to retrieve something for me." Peter says and senses the shadow grow interested. "You will go to the Enchanted Forest and find a king named Arthur."

Peter raises an eyebrow, remembering the man who almost had his own son stolen by Peter. He had something, and in return for sparing his son Peter got him to make an agreement. If Peter should ever need to borrow some of this special magic from him, Arthur was to immediately oblige.

"And you have to get _that_ from him."

* * *

 **Alright everyone how are we doing today? Yep yep, I know, I get it. Wow, what a chapter this was! It was honeslty gonna be a ton more dramatic, but that'll probably be saved till a few chapters later. (Sorry Heather ,even though you probably didn't care when I was ranting to you about this almost 3/4 of conversations today.) I've gotta edit this so I'll wrap it up for now. I hope I explained everything well enough, but if you have any questions drop it in a review or DM me yeah? Thanks and have a great evening everyone!**


	16. Snap

***OI HEATHER YOU HAVE A MESSAGE AT THE BOTTOM! EVERYONE ELSE CARRY ON***

 **Alright, here we go guys! Okay so here's a thing, I'm not actually sure if Peter ever flies in the show, aside from that time with the pixie dust but hat was kinda Henry. I mean it could just be because they didn't want to bother with all the effects they'd have to use, but maybe there was a more specific reason...pff.**

 **(We'll just go with him being able to fly...since you know we've kinda already said he can...) Oi! Don't look at me like that. Every good story has to have plotholes, if you can't infer or create theories about things than what are you reading for?**

 **Sassy voice in my head: "Yeah I really don't want someone to 'infer' or 'create theories' when reading a how-to on some important thing like making food or medicine."**

 **Shut up voices! You're not allowed to bother me here!**

 **Obviously the curse is a bit different in this story than in the show, with a few key elements left out. You know like how Peter isn't a middle aged man who can't get his life together (that isn't a criticism of the show, that's just how I feel inside). So in that respect I suppose it's okay to assume that some things are implied into our curse.**

 **Anywho. Just a head's up, I'll be getting a surgery thing done this weekend- so depending on how I feel afterwards will determine whether I get a lot of chapter out or none at all. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

 **(By the way, unless you're sarcasm deaf you haven't missed me hinting at wanting some more reviews. Hinting is going out the window. I would really love some feedback from all you reading this! Please and thank you!)**

* * *

Auria's POV

She jumps and grabs the boy, falling and rolling to the ground with him tightly in her hold. He struggles against her at first, but eventually he calms down and relaxes. Auria sits up and releases him, glancing up to see David and Hook a few yards back. She waves her hand and they back away, giving the two some space.

Then, for the first time in years, Auria places her hand on her little brothers cheek. His dusty blonde hair falls in front of his face and she moves her hand to brush it away, but Rufio pulls away. She narrows her eyes, anger and indignation flaring up in her for a second before new tears spark her eyes.

"Why?" Their two voices speak at once and Rufio snaps his head to look at her, both of them awaiting an answer to the same question. Auria blinks back the tears and stares hard at his sharp features.

"I came all this way and you're still running?" She whispers after another few moments of silence. Something clashes in his eyes, and she realizes that while it may have been year for him- those years were shortened for her. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, you might've thought that I'd forgotten about you." Based on the look in his eyes she guesses she hit the mark.

"Why did you come? How are you still... it's been a long time." He says and Auria smiles a bit, his slight Scottish accent reminding her of better days.

"Time was still for me... just like it was for you, I guess." Her voice is soft, but carries a deeper meaning. "I've been in the maze for...I don't know how long." His eyes grow wide at the mention of the maze, and she wonders if Regina managed to burn down the rest of it. "I left the Enchanted Forest a day after you did, so I guess that's how long."

Auria notices how Rufio's gaze travels everywhere except her, but she never looks away from him. This is the boy she abandoned her life for.

"I didn't know." He replies flatly and she sighs. She waits a minute in the silence, hoping he'll say something more. Once she gets the idea that he doesn't want to talk, Auria stands up and offers him a hand.

"Will you come with us back to the camp?" She asks as he takes her hand and stands up. Rufio doesn't say anything but he just stares down at Auria's hand holding his. In an instant his arms are around her in a hug. Her reaction is simply to return the hug, wondering if she's finally reaching her goal after all this time.

Suddenly he pushes her to the ground and steps away. She scrambles to get up, but when she does Rufio has a knife pointing at her. Auria stares at it cross-eyed for a second before looking at Rufio with a world of hurt and betrayal in her eyes. The lost boy has a unreadable expression, but she swears that she sees something deep flash in his eyes.

"Stay away from me. Don't follow, I don't want to have to hurt you." He says with a surprisingly shaky voice before turning and bolting away. Auria stare after him, but doesn't move. What happened? Did her Rufio just threaten her with a knife?

"Auria?" David's voice snaps her out of her shock and the man puts a hand on her shoulder. Her arms move to hug her chest, and it takes a moment of intense willpower not to fall to her knees.

She'd been worried that after all these years he'd think she had forgotten about him. In reality, though, maybe after all of these years he was the one who forgot about her. The ache of disappointment in a lost hope throbs in her heart, and questions seems to ring over and over again in her thoughts.

"He pushed me away... What do I do now? What's left for me to do? I don't have anything to go back to, anything to give anyone." She says bitterly as Emma, Snow, and their new pal Neal walks up the rest of the way. "He left..." She doesn't even bother to hide her snapped composure from the still strangers around her.

Who cares anymore?

* * *

Peter's POV

Peter prepared to talk to Wendy, devising a plan to use her to persuade Henry into believing in him again. He knew that boy had received some form of contact from his family, otherwise he wouldn't have had such an aura of masked cheerfulness. Henry also asked to see Trinity, possibly to tell her about his family, but that couldn't exactly be used as evidence.

Someone had just left Neverland, it was such a way that Peter would have to work on later. He couldn't yet stop anyone from leaving via underwater unless he previously employs the mermaids to stop them. Even then, the girls didn't always enjoy taking orders from him.

"Pan." Felix's voice made him look up from his thoughts, and Peter walked over to his second in command. "Did you send the shadow out?" He asked with a slight scowl on his face.

"Yes, why?" Felix didn't usually question what Peter did, but maybe he had caught on a bit to what he was planning.

"Are you sending it to get the magic dust?" Felix drawled, pretending to be uninterested. Peter could tell, though, that he was especially curious about it.

"Yes."

"For...Trinity?"

"Is there any problem?" Peter questioned, raising an eyebrow. Whatever his friend was trying to accomplish, he was soon growing bored of it. He had better things to do than consult him for everything that Peter planned to do.

"She won't take it well." Felix's statement made Peter furrow his eyebrows and he turned dramatically on his friend. Who was he to tell him? Of course he knew she wouldn't be happy, but she'll forget about it eventually.

"You know her so well then, laddie? What, do you suppose, she's doing right now?" Peter knew that taunting him with the information that she'd soon be remembering everything, back to her old self, would be fun indeed.

"Well, I'd say that since Hopper, Thumper, Bug, and Shade are all gone, she's probably out with them." Felix drawled, obviously not enjoying being treated as inferior by Peter, who should've treated him as the close team they were. Peter thinks for a moment, considering the idea.

He sent Shade out so that he interact with the girl Auria. After she'd manage to survive her fall from the cliff he'd grown interested in seeing how far she'd last. Shade had been loyal to him for years, even if it was all built on one lie. Still, Hopper, Thumper, and Bug were free to do whatever they wanted today.

Grumbling, Peter stalked quickly away to prepare Wendy for his plan, deciding to check on Trinity afterwards. If she really was with those three, he had no doubt that they would find themselves into trouble sooner or later. Especially when he got to them.

* * *

Trinity's POV

With the help of Pazi, I pull up the dingy onto the shore to ensure that no curious mermaids or who knows what else gets to it while we're away. I stare up at the skull like caves, whistling at how much bigger it was up close. I manifest a torch in my hand and light it up with magic, pumping my fist in the air at the successful fire.

Hey I'm getting better at this! Bring it on arachnids! Prepare to be torched.

"I'm guessing whatever we need to find is inside the big skull cave, huh?" I ask sarcastically while climbing up to get to it. Frankly, the giant skull doesn't really bother me that much. No, what bothers me is whether we'll get the information we need inside or not. If we don't...

"Can you do that with all of the torches?" Al asks, pointing to some tiki like torches lined around the place. I shake my head, feeling that my magic pool was running out. I'd rather save the rest for if I get desperate and really need it.

I gasp once we're inside, my attention immediately caught by the huge hourglass in the center. The sand trickles down slowly, but the time left for it is dwindling. There's not much longer for the curse, no matter what I try to do. Still, something tells me the outcomes will be better should we break it ourselves, as opposed to just seeing what happens.

Skulls line the room and I question the mind of the interior designer that made this place so... hell-ish. "Alright boys...search for clues? Maybe there's a manual or something in here." Pazi rolls his eyes, giggling a bit at the look on my face.

"Shouldn't something like that be obvious?" Ollie says and I shrug, beginning to circle the huge hourglass, looking for inscriptions on the skull stones or the rim. After several minutes of fruitless search, I throw my hands in the air.

"Nothing? No clues! Just a big cryptic hourglass!" I moan in frustration and kick a golden skull, proceeding to cradle my stubbed toe.

"What were you expecting?" A new voice says and I look up my from my toe cradling. All of my thoughts screech to a stop at the familiar sarcastic tone. Pan.

...

...

Shit.

I turn around to see Pazi, Al, and Ollie pushed back by Pan, who gives me a very unnerving stare. If you can imagine the look someone gives to their pet when their being cute mixed with the look when they've eaten a wallet or something-you can imagine his eyes. He stalks over to me, but I quickly back away, grabbing for an arrow.

I hold it up by the middle to keep at least some distance between me and the boy who's judgement is harshly impaired. Alcohol? Drugs? Nope. A dark curse that the dimwit somehow got himself stuck in, that's what I have to deal with. Pazi pulls out a spear he had strapped to his back, but I immediately make a cutting motion with my free hand across my neck.

"Why can't you just take a nap like a good girl?" He asks as he stops a few feet from me, sighing and quirking an eyebrow. I raise both of mine in an incredulous expression and he grins darkly, knowing that he struck me on a bull's-eye. For annoying me, that is.

"I'm sorry if it's not in my nature to lie in bed all day!" I refute and his eyes grow darker.

"You didn't answer me, what were you planning- bringing them all here?" He asks, moving closer in. I square my shoulders, determined not to be intimidated, and make a poking motion with the arrow. Which is not coated in dreamshade, I'll have you know.

"Is there a problem with seeing a huge Skull Island and thinking, that looks fun?" I say innocently, trying to get ease his fowl temper. Sadly, my attempt seems to have the opposite affect as his hand flashes out and grab the arrow around my hand.

"Yes." He clenches his hand and the arrow snaps under it. I gulp and glance past him to look at the boys. They obviously appear as if they want to do something, but know better than to interrupt something like this. It's probably true that I'm the best one out of us to calm Pan's 'tude, but I'm just happy they aren't putting themselves in danger.

"Fine. Actually I was just a tad worried about the whole curse thing and how it relates to Henry. Excuse me if the most I wanted to do was find out more about it." I know more about it already, but it's true that I don't know what he wants with Henry. "For instance, we'd have a slight problem if this whole thing involved Henry dying, or something like that." I say jokingly, implying that it's obvious he wouldn't kill Henry for this plot.

I wait for him to reply, or to show some change in his expression, but he simply stares at me. Finally, he turn to the boys and lets go of my hand clutching the snapped arrow. "Leave. Now." He tells them and they shift their eyes from him to me. I pinch my lips, debating on what to do.

I can't let them get in more trouble, so I nod my head slightly and they widen their eyes. "Take the dingy, Pan will take me back." I say and they leave, glancing behind them every other step as they go. Once they're gone Pan turns back to me. I open my mouth to speak, but something flies through an eye of the huge skull cave we're in.

Pan's shadow drifts down, and I narrow my eyes and glance between it and Pan. His expression is masked, unreadable, but it softens a bit when he sees what the shadow is holding. The see through hand is filled with a red-orange, glowing dust. I furrow my eyebrows for a minute as the shadow pours it into Pan's cupped hands.

"What is that?" I ask and Pan looks at me with such a mixed, raw expression. It's full of innocence, horror, fear, certainty, anger, and frustration. My hand goes limp and drops one piece of the snapped arrow, the half with the tip.

"I'm sorry Trin."

* * *

 **Oh boy! Don't you love cliffhangers?! No? oh...yeah well they're a lot more fun when you know what happens afterward I guess. That's the big question now isn't it? Unless you didn't watch the most recent season (5th), you know what that dust is. Will our beloved lost boy use it or will he reconsider? Does he ever reconsider? He's an impulsive lad isn't he? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, and here's a special message for my bff that the rest of you reading can just kinda skip over if you want.**

 ***HEATHER YOU SUPER NEED TO GRAB MY TRUMPET TOMORROW MORNING! PLEASE AND THANK YOU***

 **You may wonder why I write that on here when in a few years it'll be totally irrelevant and nobody is gonna understand it, including myself. Who knows really, I'm feeling impulsive too today ;)**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading! Have a good evening!**


	17. Done

**Wow okay so here we are again! Sorry about the wait! We were gonna have a nice chapter that moved forward while staying accurate to the show, but my computer decided to funk up with the episode! Therefore, I'm just going to wing it on this one. You'll see how it goes.**

 **I think I'll be nice and start pulling you guys up from that cliff hanger in this one...maybe ;) It's gonna be a shorter chapter, or at least an uneventful one? I'm not sure anymore to be honest. I'm just super tired.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, my lovelies and try to leave a review as they make me very happy, and I love the feedback! Please enjoy this one and I'll talk to you again at the bottom of the page!**

* * *

Peter's POV

He squeezes the dust in his hand and stares at Trinity, trying to make up his mind on what to do. Should he use it now? Should he risk the pain he'll put her through when he carries on with the plan? Peter remembers what Felix said, of course she'd be unhappy with it. Still, it's for her own good right?

She doesn't know herself right now, she's still blinded by the obligation to protect Henry, she wouldn't understand what he's trying to do unless he helps her. Darkness inside him pushes him further to the conclusion that he should do it, and he catches a nod from the shadow.

"Are you going to hurt Henry?" She asks in a small voice, and Peter notices her grip tighten on the snapped arrow. He frowns, and wonders if he should use dust before explaining things to her. She'll be upset either way, but with the dust she'll accept it quicker. He moves in closely to her and she eyes the dust before looking up at him. "Are you going to put a spell on me?" Her insightful eyes pierce his, making the constantly harsh edge in gaze soften. "You promised you wouldn't hurt me again."

"It won't hurt, you'll hardly even notice." He says softly, but she glares at him with the savvy he always admired her for.

"It will hurt me. Pan, if you try to make me think thoughts that aren't my own...I'll never forgive you!" She exclaims, and places a hand on his chest to force him to keep a certain distance. He narrows his eyes, noticing the fright that flashes behind the warning in her eyes and tone of voice.

She belongs to him, she always has. From the moment he brought her here all those years ago.

He holds up his hand with the dust before blowing it softly over her. She steps back quickly and coughs, trying to wave it away from her face. Still, the spell takes hold and after a second she's staring at her hand with a confused expression.

Peter suddenly feels dread drop in his stomach, reality coming to him for a second. She looks up at him and blinks, as if trying to work out what's going on. Then, as if she snapping out of a daze, her eyes light up and she smiles at him.

"Peter!" She exclaims and rushes to him again, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head in his neck. He stands there still as a stone. She pulls back and looks at him, "What's wrong with you?" She asks with a kind gaze gracing her face, so perfect, but very unlike herself. She would never openly do this, she was always too shy, even before she was taken from Neverland. She pulls away and looks at him with slight concern, but wrong eyes.

The spark is gone, the challenge that she takes to understand everything has disappeared. Now it's just acceptance.

What has he done?

* * *

Auria's POV

"Shade is your brother?" The new man Neal asks suddenly, and Auria notices his beat up appearance. He really does look like he came back from the dead, huh? She shrugs, realizing that they aren't actually related by blood, so maybe this whole time she didn't have any claim to call him her brother.

Especially if he doesn't feel the same way.

"Did he go by Shade? I knew him by Rufio." She murmurs, surprised when Neal nods.

"Trinity called him that too. Look, I wouldn't be so worried about what he just did." Neal says and Auria widens her eyes, confused at the notion. How could she not be anything other than devastated?

"What do you mean? It's over now!" Her defeated voice doesn't carry far against the noise of the jungle, making Auria feel even more insignificant.

"Nonsense. You can't give up just yet, lass." Hook says out of the blue, before any of the other more likely people to comfort her says anything. "You've got plenty of time to convince him to come home. Even if you can't, you've got lots of life ahead of you." Hook gives her a weak but encouraging smile.

"We need your help, to get off this island with everyone we came for." David says and places a hand on the spot where the dreamshade cut was. "You already helped save my life." Auria scoffs, looking around at all of them.

"Please, Hook was doing fine saving you." She says causing the pirate to roll his eyes.

"Be that as it may, I'm sure there's plenty more we'll need your help with in the near future." The pirate insists and Emma gives Auria a smile too, patting her on the shoulder.

"You do weave a mean rope. Regina and I would've been stuck in that maze a lot longer if we hadn't run into you." The blonde woman says. Auria notices the hurt behind Emma's eyes, the woman masking her own pain in her love life so she can comfort Auria. Perhaps that's what Auria should do. Maybe if she focuses on getting Trinity and Henry free from Peter Pan, her own problems will work themselves out in the process?

"We need your help to rescue Henry and Trinity." Snow agrees and Auria thinks for a second, wondering if she actually has any options other than to assist the group. Even if she does, she's not sure if she would decide against their mission anyway.

She opens her mouth to ask for reassurance, a confirmation that she really does still have a chance with Rufio, but stops when she realizes she doesn't need it. So what if she failed again? So what if Rufio has forgotten about her? She owes it to these people to help them, after all that's what they were doing for her now. That's what they'd done since they'd met her.

"You're right. We should get back to Tink, then." Auria says, earning a smile and a clap on the back from everyone in the group. A small bubble of joy settles in her, and she imagines her new goal. She's not just here for Rufio anymore, now she's committed to getting off with all of them.

They walk through the forest, heading back to their temporary camp. Auria can see that the secrets they all had to reveal were eating away. Snow is obviously upset with her husband, Emma's showing her broken heart on her sleeve, Hook and Neal keep casting each other wary glances, and David looks as if he's dying again. Auria herself isn't much better off, what with the image of Rufio holding a knife to her continuously flashing through her mind, but she knows that none of them will let their feelings drag them down.

That's what Pan wants.

* * *

 _Trinity's POV ~Super Past Time~_

 _"What did she do?" A girl with tight jeans and a low hanging collar pointed to Trinity, who was sitting in the library trying to figure out how to work algebra. She wasn't the worst with equations, but she sure wasn't the best either. Still, she had to get at last a 'B' in this semester to please her parents._

 _That's she was here late Friday afternoon, studying like the classic dork in the school library. It was getting late, but her family was out of town for the weekend, so she could really do anything she wanted. Well, almost anything. Apparently she was never able to manage a day without receiving some sort of insult from the classic popular gang._

 _Oh and don't think this'll be the classic story where she had one good friend and they actually had a perfect time together without anyone else. Nope. No friends. No study buddies. No companions. That is, expect for this lovely algebra notebook filled with tons of doodles!_

 _"Nothing! That's the joke, get it?" One of the girl's friends said. The rest of them laughed and walked past her table, and Trinity wondered if her own boring life made those girls feel better about their own slutty ones._

 _"Kind of a lame joke, Suzy. Then again, anything about that girl is lame, so it's not really your fault." Trinity groaned and slammed her book shut, deciding that to study alone at home was definitely better than listening to that. She shoves her books into her bag and slings it over her shoulder with an attitude, causing the bulky bag to hit her thigh hard._

 _"Ouch!" One of the girls said and they all laughed again. Trinity made an effort to turn her back to them with as much sass as possible, despite her hurt pride. Who cared anyway?_

 _Several minutes later she was walking down the street, hugging her sides to combat the cold. The sun went down sooner in the winter, but she didn't expect it to be this late already._

 _"Look, a chick." A male voice said, and Trinity stiffened. She looked around, and spotted the source of the voice to be behind her, in a group of three guys._

 _"Man she's young, you had too much to drink?" They laughed, possibly not serious about their jests, but Trinity started to run away anyway. She dived into the woods that banked the street, and kept running through them despite the growing darkness._

 _Suddenly, as if hitting a wall of shadow, she slammed into something in front of her. She hit the ground and scrambled into a sitting position, scanning the space in front of her for what she hit. For a second she didn't notice anything, until two glowing blue lights, side by side, appeared._

 _"What'd you stop for?" A boy's voice called from a good twenty feet away. Trinity held back a scream, feeling lightheaded as a silhouette of a boy became apparent in front of her, slightly transparent. She ran into a solid shadow?!_

 _"A girl." A wispy, dark voice came from the shadow and Trinity stood up quickly, grabbing her bag. Because of the darkness, she couldn't see the boy past the shadow, but she didn't want to._ _She moved quickly, trying to ignore what she'd seen and get home and take a nap. Obviously she was sleep deprived or something. She stopped abruptly when the boy stepped in front of her. "You ran into my shadow?" He asked, his facial features cloaked by the night. A breeze blew wisps of her brown hair into her face, and she wondered what the boy expected her to say._

 _"Ah...Uh" Was all that she managed from her mouth. The boy reached out with his hand, perhaps to grab her or reach for something, but she immedialty brought up leg hard and fast, nailing him in the groin. He doubled over and she rushed past him, sprinting again. After a few moments, she heard movement behind her._

 _They were chasing her!? Seriously!?_

* * *

 **Welp! Did you enjoy this one? I hope you did. The little bit with Trinity in the past may or may not be the first time they've met. (No I'm not being coy I just quite literally haven't decided yet.) Anyway I'll wrap this one up, tons of homework to do. Thanks for reading and have a good evening!**


	18. Natives

***Cracks knuckles, back, and neck* Yes! Okay let's do this, shall we!? Aaaaaand calming down.**

 **Okay so in this one there are some obvious tweaks and such, but I'll leave those for you to find. Are they big, are they small? Who knows? Well... okay yeah I do...and you will once you read...and perhaps you already got it from the title- ANYWAY**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this one, and thanks a bunch for the favorites and follows! I love each and every review, so thank you for those too and I hope to get even more. They're like little birthdays each time I read one! Let's get on with it then, yeah?**

* * *

Auria's POV

"Honestly, what did you expect?" Tink asks, handing Auria a cup of something steaming. Who knows what it is, Tink was always good at making things from just whatever she can find. Auria sips it, shrugging a bit. She left the others to wait for Emma, Neal, and Hook to deal with the shadow while she prepared Tink for the plan. They're digressing a bit from the subject, however.

Tinker Bell walks over to the fire she made earlier beside her treehouse and Auria admires her handiwork on it all. If anyone could survive in this place, it's Tink.

"I mean, he hasn't seen you in a very long time. He might've thought it was a mean joke from Pan." She says, and Auria considers the idea. She knew that it must have been strange for him, but she promised she would bring Rufio back. He should've known that she never breaks her promises.

"He held a knife to me!" Auria exclaims, but realizes after she's said it that he had been on Neverland for a very long time. He must have picked up survival instincts. After all this time she really can't expect him to be the same Rufio he was when she went looking for him.

"Yeah well, boys around here do that. Besides, you did say you regret coming after him." Tink says. Auria gives her a look and the fairy holds up her hands in defense. "Which, anyone in their right mind would." Suddenly, the bushes rustle and the two woman stiffen, growing alert. Auria sets down her cup and stands up, drawing her knife.

"Who's there?" Auria demands and a few people, of a different culture than what she has ever seen, step out from the trees. Tink relaxes, but Auria doesn't know anything about them. Her guard stays up for both her and Tinker Bell.

"Greetings, Tinker Bell and friend." One woman at the head of their group of four says to them with an accent. Tink motions for Auria to stand down, but she only shifts and raise and eyebrow. The woman has long black hair, with feathers laced in them. Her tan outfit matches her groups', and she wears blue shoes that look like boots made out of cloth.

"It's been a while. Auria, they are from the Piccaninny tribe of the island." Tink says, stepping over to Auria as she does. "Their tribe is aligned with Pan, but these are friends of mine." Auria doesn't see how what she said should make her trust them, and she gives Tink a dubious look.

"We were sent to find the friends of the girl named Trinity, to give them a message." The woman says and Auria tilts her head.

"They aren't here right now, but I can pass on the message. I'm with them, or trying to save Trinity and Henry too." She says, placing a hand on her hip. The woman looks to her friends, and shrugs.

"A lost boy, another friend of the girl, asks us to warn you." The woman begins. "The girl is under a spell of Pan, and will not be in compliance when you find her." With that said, the woman pulls out a spear and her expression turns dark. "Tinker Bell, we apologize for having to do this."

Another woman and two men also pull out their weapons. Tink holds up her hands, apparently very surprised by their betrayal. "Lily, we've been friends for ages. What's happened?" Tink exclaims and the woman named Lily looks hesitant for a second. Meanwhile, Auria is considering what she said about Trinity.

She's under a spell? Just how powerful can Pan actually be? Maybe they came to tell her for an intimidation factor, or maybe the lost boy is an unexpected ally. Whatever the case is, she doesn't like the idea of fighting four against two.

She is, after all, a bit rusty with just about everything.

"We must do this. If Pan doesn't succeed than the island might die. We live here, Tinker Bell. It's our duty to protect our home." Lily says and gestures for her group to attack Auria and Tink.

Auria ducks when two men try to slash her with strange blades. They look almost as if they've been carved from bone, but what animals did they use on this island? She grabs the still steaming cup and throws the liquid inside on them. She's still not sure what it is, but it's certainly hot enough to be uncomfortable.

She grabs a flaming log from the fire, figuring that throwing things at them from afar is much safer than trying to engage in close combat. They merely look annoy and Auria shrugs and looks around for something more useful to throw. She's always only been a fairy, shouldn't she leave this type of action to heroes?

"Tink!" Auria exclaims, seeing the woman on the ground with Lily's spear tip pointed at her throat.

"Auria watch out!" Tinker Bell exclaims, but Auria is grabbed by the two men. They hold her arms with a strong grip while she kicks and struggles to pull herself away. They drag her closer to Tink, Lily, and the other woman who is also pointing a knife at Auria's fellow ex-fairy.

Auria grits her teeth, glaring at Lily. How could someone betray their friend so much as to threaten to kill them?! "Girl, if you are Tinker Bell's friend then you will give us information. Tell us where Trinity's friends are." Lily says and Auria narrows her eyes. Still, she can see that the woman means business, and Auria doesn't want Tink to be hurt.

"They went to the Dark Hollow. Some of them." She says with a defeated tone, calming her struggling to make it look like she's giving up. Lily doesn't relax, and she assumes the woman wants her to say where the others are. "The rest are at a camp, in that direction."

One of the men releases her left arm so she can point, and Lily removes the spear from Tink's neck. The other woman runs off in the direction Auria pointed and she sighs, but straightens up suddenly when Lily walks over to her. "I apologize to you young one, but I must end your life." She says, and Auri looks down like she's accepting it.

"No, Auria!" Tink exclaims, outraged that she would give up so easily. Just wait a second. Lily raises her spear, and Auria grabs the men to push herself up and kick the woman in the stomach. Lily doubles over and Auria bites the man still holding onto her. Tink quickly pushes up from the ground. Auria grabs another burning stick from the fire, and dodges the men to make it the edge of the clearing.

She sticks the flaming stick near some of the thick undergrowth, and the natives freeze. "Take one more step and I'll start a fire that will burn this whole island down!" Auria says and Tink joins her, nodding with approval.

"How's that for protecting your island?! Get out of here before we change our minds about letting you go." Tink says with regret in her eyes. Lily and the two men hold up their hands and back away slowly, finally disappearing and running into the woods. Tink turns to Auria and sighs. "I'm sorry, I should've been more alert."

Auria peers at the woods, wondering if they've really left or not. Her guess is that they've gone to deal with the others, which maybe they should've stopped them from going. "It's alright. We should leave quickly to help the others." She notes, wondering how long they have before the natives reach them.

"If you were planning an escape, you could've just pointed them the wrong way." Tink comments and Auria rolls her eyes, chucking the burning stick back into the fire. She could've, sure, but if they taken them prisoner then she would've definitely been punished for lying. "You did a good job." The tone in Tink's voice is awed and just a bit regretful.

Auria looks up surprised, and blinks. If she hadn't been here, Tinker Bell probably wouldn't have been attacked in the first place. "Let me guess, you aren't going to come with because why should you risk your neck for people you don't know?" Auria says, glancing sideways at Tink.

The woman snorts, "You got it. I'd love to help but I can't be seen by Pan's allies helping you. I can explain what just happened, but I couldn't recover from attacking them." She says and Auria nods, understanding a little bit. She spends a few seconds checking she has everything she came with, and then starts to leave.

"I'll go then...wish me luck." Auria calls over her shoulder before running into the jungle, diverting a bit from the path she pointed the natives on. Her knife hardly helps with cutting through the deep jungle, "If I had wings and pixie dust, then I could fly right over this." She grumbles. The thought is very similar to what she used to think before she came to find Rufio, when she was a fairy.

After only a few minutes of moving she hears noises, and recognizes them as the group. They finished so quickly?

"Hey! It's Auria!" She calls and meets them after a few seconds of maneuvering through the jungle. and hopping onto the path she was avoiding. However, instead of seeing the full group, only Snow White and David are in front of her. They looked like they were just having a heated discussion about something, and Auria realizes it must've been about the poison. "Woah, where's the others?"

"Auria! They're still getting the shadow, we came to help you with Tinker Bell." Snow says and Auria narrows her eyes. This isn't right, the natives would've stopped them...

"What's wrong?" David asks shouldering a pack of stuff. They must've taken everything important from their camp while Emma, Neal, and Hook left to get Pan's shadow.

"Did you...encounter any natives on your way here?" She asks, although she knows that they probably wouldn't be here right now if they did. They would've defeated them and tried to get information, most likely.

"No.." Snow says and Auria dons a grim expression.

"Tink and I were attacked by them. They would've killed her if I hadn't told them where to go to find you. I was coming as soon as I could to help you." Auria explains and sighs. "We have to go back, because by now the natives have probably already reached those three."

* * *

Trinity's POV

"I'm fine, nothing happened- he just got a little sulky." I say to Henry after explaining what I'd been doing. Yes, a little bit sulky but he apologized afterwards, so it was fine. Honestly I'm more worried about what Henry's been up to. "In other news I think I'm past the worst of the memories. I'm starting to remember some of my time here."

He glares at me, his own temper rotten because I didn't take him with me, nor did I make it my first priority to rendezvous with him. To be fair, I was the one that had been ignored while he danced like a fool in the circle full of boys. "Fine, you missed out on something great anyway." He says with an excited gleam in his eyes.

"Uh-huh. Do tell me how much I missed out on- mister who didn't go to an island littered with skulls." I tease, but his face turns to stone as Peter approaches us. He turns himself around on his root of the tree we were sitting on, and I smother a laugh after catching Peter's flash of annoyance.

"There you are. Would you two like to go on a stroll?" He asks, the question directed towards Henry.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." He says, and Peter kneels down, sending me a questioning look. I shake my head, he's not getting anything from me.

"Why's that?" Peter asks and I sniff. If I had been the one to say that he would've laughed and dragged me along anyway.

"You've been lying to me, haven't you? My family..." Henry turns to me and looks at me with determined eyes. "Trinity our family is here, on Neverland!" He says and I widen my eyes. Emma... Regina, Snow and David... and maybe Hook too? I already knew that Neal and Rumpelstiltskin are here, but I guess I'd never gotten the chance to tell Henry before I forgot about it.

"H-how...? Did you see them?" I ask and he glances at Peter. My stomach churns, and confliction causes me not to be excited in the way Henry must have imagined me.

"It doesn't matter, but aren't you happy?" He asks and I glance to Peter, his dark green eyes watching me closely. "You...you are happy aren't you?"

"Henry...of course I am." I finally say, releasing a long breath. My smile is forced, but Henry doesn't have very long to notice it. Peter chuckles darkly for a second, and Henry turns back around.

"Well, I always hate to be the bringer of bad news, but if your family is here, why haven't they come for you yet?" Peter asks and I bite my lip. 'They tried' I could say, but something holds me back.

"You could be keeping them from us." Henry says after slowly turning back around to face him. I avoid looking at either of them and spot Felix watching from across the small piece of the camp. He catches my gaze and glares at me, causing me to look away from him too.

"I promise you both that I am not holding them prisoner." Peter says, and I resist wincing at his careful choice of words. He's not lying...he just severly avoided the question.

"Then why do you keep disappearing? Trinity tells me everything that happens with her, but you never do. You're hiding something from me- and I will find out what it is!" Henry exclaims and storms into the woods. I stand up and sigh, considering following him and calming him down.

I take a few steps in the direction but Peter grabs my hand and pulls me behind the big tree we were sitting on to shield us from the rest of camp. He looks down at me while my back is pressed against the tree, and I resume my avoidance of his face. "Trin... Why aren't you looking at me?" He asks and I bite my lip, shrugging.

He tilts his head and steps back, giving me space so I can relax. "You didn't tell me they were here." I say and he sighs, moving his head so it's in my sight and out of my peripheral.

He grins slightly and touches a lock of my brown hair that's floating loose from the braid. "You never asked." He says simply and I roll my eyes, finally meeting his and glaring at him only slightly. For some reason I can't stay mad at him anymore. "Do you want them to come and take you two home?" He asks.

I shake my head, almost instantly. "I know you need Henry to save the island, but they wouldn't trust you not to hurt him. When it's all finished, I know he'll go back with them but..." I trail off, not wanting to promise anything, but not seeing any way to get myself out of this.

"You'll stay with us?" Peter asks, and I try to ignore the hint of darkness in his eyes. I nod, and he grins. "Then I'll do everything I can to make sure the island will be perfect then." He says while taking my hand. I smile a bit, knowing that he wasn't just doing this for the island, but for me too.

Just then, he leans in and kisses me lightly on the top of my head, making me blush while he stretched up so much his chest is in my face. I duck under him and spin around, stopping at the edge of the forest where Henry disappeared to. "Um...then I'll go find Henry now." I say quickly and turn around to run into the forest. My heart pounds fast, but not because I'm running.

* * *

Peter's POV

He watches her run off, a smile playing at his lips from her shyness. Gradually, she'd become more and more like her usual self, and his worry had faded. He'll break the spell once everyone that can take her away is either dead or off this island.

"So you did it." Felix drawls, and Peter raises an eyebrow, assuming that he's referring to the spell.

"Yes, what about it?" Peter asks, suddenly not liking how he's shorter than Felix. Not with the oaf glaring down anyway.

"It's easy enough to tell. She's not acting like herself. It's as if she's a puppet." Felix says, dropping the uninterested act for once.

"I don't see it, maybe you're imagining it." Still, Peter wonders if it's true, and he just hadn't noticed.

"Trinity would've told Henry about Neal and Rumpelstiltskin, not kept quiet. You know how sharp her tongue can be." He says and Peter rolls his eyes.

"Whatever, it's not permanent."

"Even if it's not, what happens when you break it? As it's going not only are you losing the boy, you've probably already lost Trinity."

* * *

 **Well how was that one guys? I'm in a rush so I'll be quick about editing this, and then scurry on to that report I've got to type up... Whoops! Thank you so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Have a good evening.**


	19. Shell

**Hehehehehe...*nervously looks around* No throwing knives? Okay cool! Look everyone I am super sorry about the long wait for this one...but I cannot lie to you. I neglecting this story because of a recent show I got into. You can blame Supernatural, or me for not managing my time well. If it makes you feel better, I've neglected almost everything for that show, and I've got like six seasons watched in three weeks... anyway...**

 **Things are gonna get heated up pretty soon huh? Henry and Trinity, my poor sweet kids being duped so badly! My poor sweet Peter who just needs a few smacks on the cheek and a point in the right direction! How I grieve for them!**

 **Aside from that the natives are sure gonna stir up some trouble, yeah? We've also got some other new things in this chapter.**

 **I have this thing where whenever I want to make a woman a villain, I name her Jane. It just sounds so normal and unintimidating and kind of unappealing, even, as a name that you want readers to remember, but maybe that adds to it.**

 **What does that have to do with anything? Err... *coughs awkwardly***

 **Anywho, I hope you enjoy this one and thank you for the support! I super enjoyed writing this one, and greatly appreciate all the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

* * *

 _Trinity's POV ~Past times! ...which past? Err... you'll figure it out...I know she has two of 'em...with more than one places to start at but...you're smart!~_

 _I raised my hands above my head and twirled, feeling my cloak fluff out and allowing the cold night air to hit me hard. Even so, it wasn't enough to distract me from the dance, as I could simply spin closer to the fire. I halted my movements for a second, letting my arms fly to my right as the notes on Peter's pipe peeked. I slowed with the music and tensed as I waited._

 _The hair flew in front of my face, and time seemed to slow down as I rotated my body to spin the other way. Through the strands of my hair I could see him, and I knew his eyes were on me the entire time. I grinned before laughing as the music sped up once more, and I danced again._

 _It's no one here but us. Despite the hardships, the harsh atmosphere, and the darkness Neverland had adopted because of the curse, Peter and I still found time for this. He'd play the song we composed together in my fourth year here, and I'd dance to it differently every time. Usually he would add some variation in it, and even though I'm a horrible dancer, I would throw aside my inhibition and dance to it._

 _"Peter!" Rufio's voice exploded through the trees and the tone in his voice made both Peter and I freeze. This boy, as much as I cared for him, hardly ever expressed emotions to anyone. I turned to him, out of breath from the dance. "Trinity, there's some woman on the island." He exclaimed and I glanced at Peter._

 _He cursed, and I sighed and grabbed my bow and slung the quiver over my shoulder. Although I usually wanted to treat the people who came to Neverland kindly, there was still a need for caution. "I should've noticed it, but..." Peter trailed off and I turned around to hide the blush that flared up on my cheeks._

 _"It's alright." I said quickly and nodded to Rufio for him to show us the way to whoever was here. He turned and I started to follow him out of the clearing. Suddenly, Peter grabbed my right wrist almost hesitantly, and I tilted my head a bit, looking at him with a right side glance._

 _"Trin..." He started to say but something held him back. I swiveled around on my heels to face him fully, and gave him a small smile. I ignored the potential danger of a newcomer and reached up to give him a light kiss._

 _"Mhm?" He grinned for a second and then glared in the direction Rufio went._

 _"I'll tell you later, let's just get this over with quickly." He said and I nodded before leading the way._

* * *

~You know, I've called it the 'future' this whole time, but it's more like the present yeah? Anyway future/present time~

"Henry!?" I call out, realizing that the kid could've gone anywhere. For a second, I think I've found him as I spot someone, but a different boy comes into sight. He frowns when he sees me, and a part of me recognizes his dusty blonde hair. It's Rufio! He stares at me, and I worriedly glance over him.

"Trinity?" He asks, and frowns. "What's wrong?" I shake my head and smile.

"That's what I want to ask you. Where have you been?" I ask and he narrows his eyes at me. This is the first time I've seen him since I've been here, but unlike the others that are in my band, he's hardly excited about the reunion. I guess, from what I can remember, he's always been like that.

"I just...ran into someone..." He says and leans against a tree. "What about you? Did something happen to Henry?" He asks, referring to me calling his name out. I shrug, sighing a bit.

"He's just...being himself. He always been into solving the mysteries." I say, twisting the end of my braid in my fingers. A grin tugs a bit at my lips, thinking about the days in Storybrooke. I glance away and look around, hoping that Henry wouldn't get into any trouble.

"Do you really trust him with Pan?" Rufio asks suddenly, and I raise an eyebrow at him. "Especially with the curse's end coming closer."

"Peter can take care of himself, I'm sure he'll figure out how to stop it." I say and Rufio narrows his eyes.

"Yeah, he can definitely take care of _himself_. I wouldn't place any bets, though, when it comes to others." He says angrily and I bite my lip. "We should talk about this now that you're here. With Pazi, Al, and Ollie."

I nod, and think about the three that Peter sent on a task earlier. "Right." I say and chew my gums, wondering if plotting behind Peter's back is really a good idea. He'd be upset...

"Trinity!" Rufio exclaims and I snap my head up, not realizing I'd been letting my chin rest on my chest. "What's wrong?!" He shouts and I widen my eyes. "It's like you're not here!" He says with a frustrated look on his face. I shake my head and smile.

"You're right...sorry. Let's go. We can find them near the other side of camp. That way is where Peter sent them." I say and point in the direction that skims past the entrance to the jungle from the camp I just passed through. It would be way too awkward to see Peter again after running off, so we can just go around.

Rufio doesn't respond, he just nods once and starts walking. I stare after him for a second before catching up and walking beside him. "Okay, lets be fair, there's something wrong with you too. Who did you meet out there? I'm sorry, I don't remember everything so I don't know all the details yet but-"

"It's fine." He responds and continues on silently. Nobody can interrogate this kid for information, I remember that much. If he wants you to know he'll tell you, end of story. I sigh and move forward to lead the way, feeling obligated after him complaining about me being strange.

"You can always talk to me, ya know?" I say, glancing back at him. He has a calculating look in his eyes, as if he's trying to figure something out. He looks at me as if I'm some puzzle, but his eyes soften for a moment after he registers my words.

"I know. I've always known."

* * *

Auria's POV

She shakes her head, moving quickly through the forest in between Snow and David. Snow was quick to put Auria in the middle, but there are bigger things to worry about than that. The Natives aren't looking for a fair fight, their tribe outnumbers them for sure, but maybe they didn't think they would be a major problem to deal with.

They break into the clearing where Emma, Neal, and Hook are, to see them being confronted by the natives. Auria grips her knife, and sees it's the same group of four, with Lily leading them. Hook and Neal appear beat up, while Emma looks extremely shaken.

"Hand us the candle." Lily demands, but turns and narrows her eyes when she sees Auria again. Snow loads her bow and aims it at the woman, and David takes a few steps forward with his sword pointed out.

"Wait!" Auria exclaims, holding David back by his elbow as two more natives step out from the other side of the clearing. "We have to be careful." Hook takes one side of the natives while Emma and Neal cover the other. Emma grips the cocoanut shell close, holding a sword up with her other hand.

"Give us what we want, and we'll leave now." Lily says, holding out a hand. Emma frowns, glancing around at all of them. It's their only way off the island, without it... they can't get Tinker Bell to help them, and they can't save Henry or Trinity from Pan. "Please, we can avoid the violence."

"Guys...?" Emma asks, no one wants to give it up, but we'd be better off without a fight.

"We can't give it up, it's our only way out." Neal points out, glaring down the woman. Lily regards him shrewdly, but quickly regains her fine tipped demeanor.

"There might be other ways.." Snow protests.

"That doesn't mean they'll let us go after we give it to them. They're working for Pan." Auria says as Lily turns to her. "You fought dirty before you'll do it again." The woman's calculative eyes dance with flames of a deep remorse, as if she never wanted to have to lower herself to such a level.

"Well?" Lily asks, her tone frosty.

Emma looks at Auria, and then to Snow and David. Finally the mother shakes her head, lifting up her sword further. "We aren't giving you anything. Leave, if you don't want the violence." Lily squares her shoulders, signaling with a whistle for her friends to start moving.

It happens so quickly that Auria has trouble trying to catch everything. Each of them have a native to fight. The two men that had held Auria before face Snow and David while Auria herself shields the two from the other woman. Lily stalks toward Emma, who defends the box by herself since Hook and Neal take on the last two.

Auria swings her knife, realizing that she's severely outmatched by the woman in front of her. She jumps back several times to avoid a spear in her guts, yet is able to maneuver herself in the red tinted clearing so that she blocks the woman from giving Emma more trouble.

The fight doesn't last long, however, and the woman drops down and sends Auria to the ground by sweeping her feet out from under her. A loud grunt alerts the others and the previous stand off continues with a slight advantage for the natives, as one of them has a spear tip against Auria's throat.

"Let her go." Emma says after a couple seconds, handing out the candle less than reluctantly. Auria grimaces as the weight of the situation being her fault dawns on her. If she had stopped them before, if she had gotten here sooner. Lily snatches the cocoanut and immediately smashes it on the ground.

The shell breaks and a dark spiral of smoke is violently pushed out of it, rushing up into the sky and away from them. Just like that, the shadow is gone.

"I'm afraid the girl was right. I cannot allow you wander around anymore. Pan has asked us to subdue you." Lily says and Emma narrows her eyes.

"Asked, or ordered?" Emma says, but Lily doesn't answer. A few seconds pass by, but then a whooshing sound passes by them and tiny crystals of magic floats through with it. The natives freeze and it takes Auria a second to realize that it's the magic causing them not to move.

She rolls out from under the spear as Regina and another man walk into the clearing. "What the hell are you doing wasting your time with these people?" Regina exclaims and David offers Auria a hand. He pulls her up from the ground and she nods, thanking him softly.

"Sorry if we don't all have voodoo." Hook says and soon all the attention is directed to the smashed shell on the ground.

"The natives were following orders from Pan. We had the shadow stuck in the cocoanut shell but..." Neal says and trails off, running a hand through his hair. Emma presses her fingers against her temple and Auria sighs.

"I'm sorry." She says shamefully, looking at the ground but away from the shell. She expects one of them to reprimand her, but Snow just gently rubs her arm.

"It wasn't your fault, they're better at fighting with the materials we have, it would've happened to someone else eventually." The kind woman says, and Auria nods, but silently disagrees.

"Okay so you lost the shadow, big deal. We actually have a weapon that can be used against Pan." The queen says but only receives a series of exasperated looks from the group. "What is it?"

"That was our way off the island and to get Tinker Bell to work with us." Emma says and David holds up his hands to pause.

"Wait, why are you here anyway? How'd you get at the right time?" He asks and the man with Regina who'd been staying quiet and staring at Neal, spoke up.

"That fairy told us to come here, thought the natives would be too much for you." Rumplestiltskin, that's who it must be. The others had told her about him when they explained what they were doing here.

"Lucky guess. Would've been luckier if you were here a minute earlier. We can't patch that up and I don't know any other ways to get off." Neal says, and Auria notices the magic starting to fade on the natives.

"We should get out of here." Emma says and without saying another word, the now larger group starts walking out of the dark hollow. Auria ends up in the middle, holding her arms to her chest, with one hand squeezing her pendant.

* * *

Several minutes later, the group is out of the dark hollow and resetting the camp they had taken down only hours before. With their escape plan in sights, they had all gained a boost of reassurance thinking that they wouldn't have to make a long term camp again. With that long gone now, the group sits spread out around the camp with a fire in the middle. Each of them brainstorm in different ways, yet somehow manage to stay in a single conversation. Neal accused Rumpelstiltskin of wanting to kill Henry, but they had settled the argument by keeping their weapon against Pan with Neal.

"Can't you send the mermaid to retrieve something else from the shop? It worked once, aye?" Hook asks pointedly to Regina, not Rumpelstiltskin. It wasn't hard for Auria to notice the disdain the pirate held for the dangerous being that she had only just heard of. Rumpelstiltskin.

Fairies aren't immortal, but without illness or violence they can live for a very long time. Still, she'd never heard of Rumplestiltskin, that's most likely because of the time she spent in the maze. She imagines he came to power soon after she'd left the Enchanted Forest. The others had told her that he wasn't exactly a kind man, but they were on peaceful terms with each other. She supposes that something must have happened to Hook that would cause him to still be hostile, despite being on the same side.

"Well, if we had any other way to go to and from Neverland, would we have used the magic bean in the first place?" Rumpelstiltskin says, not allowing Regina to answer. "However, isn't there another long term resident of Neverland here?" Auria stiffens when the aged man turns to her. She raises an eyebrow, guessing that the others didn't fill him in.

"If I knew any other way to get out of this place, that's where I'd be." She says with a soft tone, but loud enough to project her voice to everyone. She's currently leaning against a tree, the farthest away from the fire. Rumpelstiltskin nods and she continues thumbing her wing pendant, wishing that she and the necklace didn't roughly share the same value in terms of usefulness.

Zero.

"Ah...wait." Auria suddenly remembers the tidbit of information Lily had given to her. They all look at her expectantly, and she hates to dowse their hopes with more grave news. "...it's something that Lily, the leader of those natives, told me. She said that Trinity is compromised. Pan did something to her, and she probably won't help us if we see her."

Her words are greeted by a few moments of silence, and Auria bites her lip while watching the group. "Dammit." Emma curses and presses two fingers to her temple. Neal puts his head on his knees and Snow, despite the recent feud, shares a look with David.

"I can reverse whatever spell the boy has conjured up, but the sooner we get there the safer she'll be." Rumpelstiltskin says and Regina snorts, but even though the Queen and the pirate both don't react openly to the news, they share the group's apprehensive air.

They continue to shoot out ideas, but all of them are rejected promptly. Auria stands up and looks around at the fading daylight. They all look at her, and her idea of slipping out unnoticed poofs away. "I'm...I'm going to try to negotiate something with Tink." She says, thinking that might be the one thing she can do.

"You shouldn't go alone. I'll go with you." Snow says, standing up. David immediately moves up too, but Snow shoots him a look. "Oh no. You can stay." The atmosphere is awkward for a few seconds, but David reluctantly sits back down. Snow walks over to Auria and the two women grab their packs.

"Be careful." David says and Auria nods, but Snow ignores him and starts heading out for Tink. Auria follows, casting one last glance back at the group before steeling her nerves for dealing with Tinker Bell.

* * *

 _~Way back when~_

 _"Uhm...Hi." A girl said, dressed in the thin white threads of a dress made from silky dandelion. She stood up and looked around, glancing at the scattered colors around her. Many different people, dressed in many different shades. No one said anything, at least, not to her._

 _Whispers littered the wooded clearing, and all of the fairies were curious as to why this new comer didn't spread her wings out like they should. The Blue Fairy stepped out and walked toward the girl, checking her back. after a few tense seconds of silence, The girl tilts her head with an innocent gleam to her eyes._

 _"What are you looking for?" She asked and Blue pinched her lips. The crowd of fairies stayed silent, waiting for what Blue would say._

 _"You...new one...do not posses any wings." Blue said and this time the crowd talked loudly, curious about what this meant. Fairies were only unable to produce their wings when they were disgraced from the order._

 _"And?" She did not understand what was so wrong about it, but she felt something was wrong. Blue placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and began to lead her away._

 _"And that makes you different. Come, we will discuss this more privately." Blue looked around and spotted someone from the crown. "Tinker Bell!" Once again everyone shushed, and the young fairy looked at Blue warily. "Come with us."_

* * *

"Tink?" Auria calls out once they've reached the treehouse. "Tinker Bell?!" A flash of musky green drops down in front of Auria.

"Shush! Do you want to alert everyone on this island?" Tink snaps and glances between Auria and Snow. "Well, did you manage to keep our way off?" Auria shares a glance with Snow and shake her head, feeling a pulse of guilt.

"No, we came to try to negotiate something else. We lost Pan's shadow when the natives attacked us, but they would've killed Auria otherwise." Snow explains and Tink rolls her eyes.

"Okay, so do you have another way out or are we back to square one?" Tink asks and Auria and Snow share another look. Tink snorts and shakes her head. "I can't help you without assurance."

"Please Tink? We don't have much but...I have to get to Rufio. Please." Auria says, looking down at the ground.

"No. I'm sorry, Auria." Tink says finally, and turns around to leave.

"Really?" Snow says and Auria looks to her sharply. "Auria saved your life, don't you at least owe her this?" Tink narrows her eyes and glances to Auria. For a second Auria thinks that they've lost Tink's help for good, but then she lets out a big sigh.

"Maybe. Even if I did help you, getting your friends back would be no use without an immediate escape. Otherwise, Pan will just take them back and kill us all for bothering him. I'm not just saying this to be stingy, it's a bad idea for all of us." Tinker Bell says and Auria looks at her with wide eyes.

"We have to try, besides we've got Regina and Rumpelstiltskin on our side, with the two of them...I know we can figure something out." Snow says and Tink snorts. Still it's obvious she recognizes the name Rumpelstiltskin.

"I wish I could have that faith...fine." Tink finally agrees and Auria smiles. Her hand drops from the pendent that she had been clutching the entire conversation, hoping for good luck. Tink raises her eyebrow but before she can complain again Auria wraps her in a hug.

"Thank you." Auria says and pulls back from the hug. Tinker Bell rolls her eyes again, and Auria shares a triumphant look with Snow.

"Yeah whatever, let's just get this over with." Tink says, and after grabbing her things, the three of them head back to camp in the finale minutes of daylight.

* * *

 **Okay guys, this was a longer one, yeah? I think I'll start speeding up towards the end of the first half of season three starting with the next one. Well, I'm going to hurry up and crank this one out, I get some time off next week so hopefully I'll be able to get some more out then. Thanks again for reading and sorry for the long wait! Blame Supernatural...I friggin' love that show! Have a good evening!**


	20. Falling

**Mwehehehe! *coughs* Oh hey...what was that about? Ahem*...nothing...nothing at all.**

 **Okay so, when you guys first watched the episode that the first part of this chapter corresponds to, who else thought there would be this big fight with the lost boys? Like, perhaps some espionage with Tink, and a kick-ass sass + fighting match between Felix and someone like Regina or Emma?**

 **And then Regina just kinda waved her hand and *Long whistle* down they all went. Felix included, 'cause unless I forgot I'm pretty sure he doesn't reappear after the Wendy thing until he's tied up on the ship. I'm probably mistaken. Anyway, say Peter figured out a way to put a spell around his camp and the effects of the spell causes Regina's knock-out spell to wear off quicker than they expected?**

 **Pfff, what nonsense am I crafting. Please. Aside from that I'm going to actually have to go back to that episode and count how many lost boys there were before I can carry that out. There can't be that many right? I mean, they all fit on the Jolly Roger, right, so... Welp, I'll figured it out.**

 **Anyway, thank you guys so much for your patience, and a super thanks to the reviews! Okay so normally I get an email for every review posted, but I went and checked and there were a lot that I hadn't gotten an email for and I didn't know they were there. So a super extra thanks for those this time, and I also appreciate all the favorites and follows too. I hope you enjoy this one too, I had fun writing it.**

* * *

Auria's POV

"Hey, remember that time when Blue told me to look out for you?" Tinker Bell asks Auria as the group takes their, hopefully last, trek through the heavy jungle of Neverland. She notices everyone's exhaustion, in the scuffing of feet and rubbing of bumps and bruises. They all need a rest, but more than anything they want to finish what they came here for.

That's Auria's job as well, to finish. The whole fool's errand from the start was cursed, especially if her brother isn't even willing to give her the time of day. Still, she knows that she would never give up. Maybe she wishes that she never came, she can't change what she feels, even if it's ugly and unheroic.

She's not a hero, she's not a fairy- No. Not here, that's not what's important anymore. Her eyes widen as she realizes that currently, her biggest mountain to climb isn't proving that she's cut out to be a fairy. Tink touches her shoulder and raises an eyebrow, and Auria jumps out of her thoughts.

"My first few minutes of existence, pretty memorable." Auria responds and Tink shakes her head, biting her lip as they reach the point that Tink has to lead them in. As Tink passes her to move to the front of the group she leans over and whispers in Auria's ear.

"This is _not_ what I had in mind." Auria lets out a little snort and, along with Emma and the rest, follows Tinker Bell in. From this moment on, Auria has her eyes glancing around, searching for any sign of Rufio.

She knows now, what she has to do to finish what she came for. From now on, she'll quit focusing on what it means to be a good fairy and start remembering how to be a good sister.

* * *

The others start to deal with the girl, Wendy, but Auria glances around the camp. They don't need all of them to discuss what to do with the girl, even if Auria can already tell that she's kind of shifty. Peter seems like the guy that picks up after himself, so what's with letting the camp be taken over so easily, the prisoners be taken that quick. Where is he?

"David." Auria says quietly to the man, not able to contain the urge to look for Rufio any longer. "I'm going to look around for my brother." She says and she notices that the man looks like he's debating whether to let her go or not. "He's my family. Besides, he may have a clue as to where Henry is."

She'd made a big show of looking around the knocked outs for Rufio, but luck wasn't on her side in that moment. Auria just hopes that by the time she finds Rufio, luck has changed its mind.

"Okay. Just be careful. If you run into any trouble, come back for help." David says, and as Auria nods to leave someone grabs her elbow. Regina lets go after she's gotten Auria's attention, and the woman looks at her carefully.

"I'm not good at sitting around and waiting, I've had my fill. Can I come with you?" The Evil Queen seems to be loosing her evil streak, and Auria doesn't overlook that she asked for her permission. This woman, who was definitely older and more experienced than her, was treating her with respect because she understood why Auria was so antsy.

"Yes, thank you." Auria responds and Regina gives her a short smile before both woman set out from the group. They step out into the forest, and strangely Auri feels at ease with this woman that she barely knows. She wonders why the queen suggested helping, if she never seemed like she trusted Auria much anyway.

* * *

Trinity's POV

We sat around the base of my treehouse for a long time, discussing and theorizing. I cracked open my old diary and went through it, trying to find anything that might be useful for breaking the curse on the island. Before we knew it, night started to fall. I glance up at the clear moon, and heave a sigh.

We've been working on this for hours, but I can't seem to get myself entirely focused. I keep noticing the glances being shared between the boys, and even once asked them if they were okay, but they hurriedly convinced me that they were fine.

"Okay, maybe we should head back to camp now. All of this plotting won't go unnoticed if we stay here too long." I finally say and sure enough I see a figure pass through the trees and begin to approach me. The Shadow...what's it doing here? Did Peter send it? I never liked this thing, it always made me feel uneasy. "What do _you_ want?"

"Your friends have infiltrated the camp." The scratchy, void-like voice says and I frown. Rufio walks over beside me as I move to stand in front of the boys.

"Wouldn't you be first in line to do something about it? Why tell me?" I narrow my eyes and watch as it slowly drifts down to float just an inch off the ground. I put my hand on Rufio's shoulder and push him behind me, despite his reluctance to do so. "Cold feet?"

"Nonsense, I just thought that if you were truly to inhabit the island once your friends are gone, you should take this chance to prove you're willing to stand up to them." I almost imagine that I can hear amusement in it's voice, but for some reason, even if I feel only repulsion to the dark being, it makes sense. "Peter asked you this, didn't he? He said that your friends would only get in the way. You told him you understood that."

I frown and feel my heart rate speed up, on the spot as if I'm back in school- forced to answer questions while I can hear the girls whispering about me only a few feet away. "Fine. Boys, we were going back to camp anyway." I turn sharply, just after the words come out of my mouth, when Pazi grabs my hand. He looks up at me with nervous eyes, and I glance from him to the other boys.

What's going on here? I make eye contact with each of them before look back to Pazi. "We shouldn't go back. Not if..." He glances to the Shadow and I kneel down so he can whisper in my ear. "Not if the Shadow wants us to." He says and out of the corner of my eyes I see Al and Ollie start climbing the treehouse.

I bite my lip as my instincts go turmoil inside of me. I've known this boy for so long, I remember that now. I remember Peter bringing him here, and the grin he gave me, missing some of his teeth. So why do I hesitate to trust him? I close my eyes, not knowing how to answer.

It's like what I want is only five feet from me, but I have no idea whether its five feet to the left, right, up, down, straight ahead, diagonal- I've got no clue! I open my eyes and turn as Al and Ollie jump down from the treehouse. "Someone's going over to the island!" Al says, and Ollie nods, adding something almost before Al stops speaking.

"I think it's Peter and Henry." I widen my eyes. The island...Skull Rock. Why would Peter take Henry there? The source of the curse...it doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense, why would the Shadow want to take me to Emma and the others? It follows Peter's orders, right? I take in a deep breath, but don't let it go.

I don't know what I want to do. I have to get something done, but my mind can't agree on what. My body tingles, and my feelings are telling me to just trust Peter. To not get in the way, and accept that whatever he does is for me. It should make me happy, thinking like that. But something else, a small unease in my gut, is screaming at me to start asking questions, to take control of my situation.

Before anyone can says anything else, the shadow moves. He wraps one arm around mine, and grabs my hair with the other. I let out a short scream as he yanks my hair back, and he flies backward, away from my Lost Boys. "Trinity!" Rufio yells and I feel my braid come undone as the shadow has a fist full of my loose, long hair.

We don't go very high, staying under the tree line, but the wind and my struggling makes it feel like absolute chaos. I feel around in my pockets, my hand touching two things, a bottle and a knife. Oh boy, isn't this a brainteaser. I unsheathe the knife and stop my struggle to make it easier for me to hurt the Shadow, but the knife goes right through it. Shit. I can't let myself be dropped into camp, not like this.

Who knows what the Shadow is planning!? Something pulses through me, and adrenaline steers my mind to the one thing I can do. Hey, I've seen this done in plenty of movies and books, right? No big deal, it's just hair.

My hand moves behind my head and I pull the knife through my hair, severing the painful hold the Shadow had. Without it, I slip through its arm and fall to the ground. With one hand I grab for branches, and the other I keep a tight hold on the knife while also keeping it away from me so I don't stab myself.

"What's wrong, I thought you wanted to see your family?" The Shadow asks once I hit the ground, and I'm forced to ignore the strands and locks of my hair floating to the ground. "We were just taking a shortcut, like you and Peter did before." The innocence in its voice is straight-up bullshit, but the comparison between it and Peter gives me goosebumps.

"Peter is nothing like you!" I shout back, hoping my loud voice might carry to the lost boys. That is, if we're not hopelessly far away already. The shadow floats in front of me and I wrack my head for anything that might work against something that can't be hit by solid materials.

The list is rapidly dwindling.

It laughs as I stand up shakily. "I can't figure you out. Surely you've gained most of your memories back by now, you know that I am Peter's shadow. I am a part of him, we are very much the same." It's voice is painful to listen to, only slightly less irritating then nails against a chalkboard. "I brought him here. You should be grateful, all of this is possible because of me."

My heart pounds with my head, and I can feel my energy running out. I shouldn't be this weak, what's wrong with me? After a few moments, I dig into my pocket and grab the bottle, filled with the nine pills left. I was saving these for the apocalypse, but one shouldn't hurt. "You're wrong." I say and pop the painkiller.

"If I'm so wrong, why hasn't he come to help you?" The words strike me as dumb at first, of course he's dealing with other things right now. Except, that thing is Henry. "The truth is, he cares much more about our darkness than you." I open my mouth to object, but the Shadow drifts closer to me, and its 'face' is inches in front of mine. "If you don't believe me, just ask yourself. How could he have let you go?"

* * *

 _Peter's POV ~Continuing from the first segment in last chapter...*sigh* this is getting so complicated...this site should have a color coding option...~_

 _The three of them moved through the woods quickly, and even though Peter knew they could've gone faster without the boy, Trinity wouldn't have it. Perhaps he just had natural dislike for Rufio, but just his luck- Trinity adores him. Finally, they make it to the beach, the place where new people usually pop up._

 _"Trinity, be careful." He said, and she gave him an exasperated look in return._

 _"Actually, I was thinking about taking a dip in the mermaid pool." She said in a sarcastically perky voice. Peter shot her a look and she rolled her eyes as they approached the young woman, who had been watching them since they stepped out of the tree line. The trio prepared themselves, but Peter had a bad feeling about this._

 _He could read everyone on the island, from the natives to Trinity and the Lost Boys. Truthfully, he was actually looking forward to this encounter. Trinity was watching him closer ever since the curse started to take more and more hold. He started to get bored with the daily mischief, and was craving something a little more exciting._

 _But, he could never tell that to Trinity. She'd threaten to beat the darkness out of him with a broom before, and Peter had the notion that that strategy had not been completely discarded. It's not that he didn't know Trinity was the only thing stopping him from going completely off the deep end, it's just part of him wanted to take the dive._

 _He could safely assume that was the darkness talking._

 _"Hello." The woman's voice was easy to read, compared to her actual emotions. Peter could practically hear the deception behind her sweet tone, and he narrowed his eyes- earning a curious look from Trinity. "I'll assume this is Neverland?"_

 _"You could. Why are you here?" Trinity asked, surely trying to give the woman the benefit of the doubt. Peter felt her hand grab his wrist, as a warning. He snorted, but she just kept a placid smile on her face. She didn't realize that he could feel her heartbeat, and he knew that something was wrong._

 _"Trinity." Rufio whispered, and she bent down to listen to him speak something in her ear. Meanwhile Peter watched the woman, who gave him a bemused look, trailing all the way down to Trinity's hand on his wrist. "She asked for you, describing your appearance. Height, hair and eye color- that stuff. It was perfect."_

 _Peter's nostrils flared and he moved to threaten the woman, but Trinity just squeezed his wrist. "My my, she has you on quite a leash." The woman says and Peter growls._

 _"What do you want. You have five seconds." He sneered, but to the woman's credit, her exhaled breath of nervous tension was hidden quite well. He was sure to Trinity and Rufio, it looked like she was keeping her cool. However, this was Peter's island, and here he read people like a book._

 _"So quick to make me an enemy. If only her leash could tame your temper as well." She said and to Peter's surprised, Trinity stepped in front him._

 _"I hate to make it seem like you've lost your welcome...but you have. Spill it, or we'll spill you." He had to give her credit, Trinity could be scary when she wanted. The last group of Lost Boys that pulled a prank on her severely regretted it. Still, Peter could do worse._

 _"You don't even recognize me, Trinity? I came here to meet you." The woman was digging herself a deep hole, but Peter didn't expect her to actually dig her booted toes into the dirt and throw something in. Peter grabbed Trinity and pulled her back as a portal opened up in the sand._

 _"No, Rufio!" Trinity wrenched herself out of his grip and grabbed the boy just before he fell in the portal. Peter would've been next to her in two seconds, but a cool, haunting presence was there behind him. The woman grabbed Trinity by the wrist, and the two seemed to have some sort of show-down, while Peter's movements were halted._

 _What was wrong with him? Trinity was in danger right in front of his eyes! Peter's eyes went wild. and he finally saw a blurred line of the Shadow mixed with his own arm. His Shadow was inside him, stopping him from getting to Trinity. He panicked, watching as the woman gained some sort of advantage over Trinity._

 _"No!" He tried to scream, but no sound would come out of his throat. No...no...NO!_

 _"Peter!" She called for help, but seeing him standing there, he could feel a million different emotions fly through her. Still, as the Woman pulled herself and Trinity back and the portal closed, he swore he could hear her voice, possibly passing through worlds to get to him. "I love you!"_

 _The second she was gone the Shadow released him, and he ran forward and fell to his knees on the spot where she fell through. Rufio stared wide-eyed, still sitting in the spot where Trinity had pushed him. He guessed that even though it seemed like so long for Peter, the scene was only a few moments passed for the boy._

 _It took him several seconds to register what had happened. Trinity was gone, and he had no idea where she'd been taken to or why. Rufio stood up and took several steps toward him, but Peter was not in the mood to babysit. "Go away. Get back to camp!" Peter ordered, putting more force into his command than Trinity would've liked._

 _Rufio, with fear making his skin jump, ran back off the beach, most likely heading for the other three that Trinity took under her wing. He ran a hand through his hair, and glared at the Shadow that floated down in front of him. "Why?" He growled, not even needing an explanation on how._

 _"She was holding you back. Keeping you from reaching your true potential. That woman was simply helping out with the dirty work." Trinity always said the Shadow's voice gave her chills, now he understood. Peter stood up, and felt Neverland's magic responding to him. Dark storm clouds began to swirl over the island, blocking the bright sun that Trinity had remarked as beautiful just earlier that day._

 _"You brought that bitch here?" Peter knew what he had to do next, so he didn't even wait for an answer before his next demand. "We're leaving. Now. Wherever she is we're going to get her." The shadow floated closer to him, and Peter could feel it was amused and excited._

 _"No. You do not yet command me. You don't have the necessary power to keep the girl safe, not even from your closest comrade. You're not strong enough to control me, you're weak." The words hit Peter hard, and this time his stayed quiet, deadly quiet, to hear what his Shadow said next. "I'll make you a deal. Grow stronger, gain the strength you need to control me. Accept your destiny as the commander of Neverland. Then you can make me tell you everything. Then, and only then, will you be able to portect the girl you love from everything- including me."_

 _Peter's eyebrows quirked as he considered the thought. "Will she be safe, where she is now? Will she be safe until I gain strength?" He knew she would oppose the idea, but that seemed exactly why the Shadow made her leave. Somehow, he felt her hug him, whispering about how it was okay, that they'd pull through and break the curse together. The feeling left quickly, replaced with the void of loss beside him where she should be._

 _"That depends on how long you take. She was holding you back. With her lulling your strength, she endangered both this island and herself. It's for her own good." The Shadow said and Peter felt himself almost unconsciously nodding. He bent his head down to stare at the sand and looked as the Shadow retreated a few paces back._

 _"Give me a minute. Inform Felix what's happened. I'll meet you back at camp." Peter paused and recalled that he had planned on telling Trinity something before they'd been interrupted, and he'd wanted a topic to restart the mood later. "Then we'll ge started." The Shadow nodded and flew off, leaving Peter to bend down once again and grab a handful of sand in his palm._

 _"You're beautiful...I love you too." He stood up and slowly walked back to the camp, noting how much he liked keeping the sun blocked out by the clouds. Soon, he sense Felix running towards him, and Peter looked up from the ground and tilted his head._

 _"Is it true!? Is Trin gone!?" Felix demanded, and Peter nodded. As if Felix noticed the tension, he kept his mouth shut and watched Peter._

 _"Come on." Felix didn't ask, but Peter knew he was dying to find out what was beginning. "We have work to do."_

* * *

 **Okay so I dunno what the hell I'm doing up so late when I have friggin shit to do tomorrow and whoops forgot to do a bunch of stuff today. Oh well, I'm sure you guys don't want to read about how the stress is becoming really real. Either way, I had the most fun writing this chapter than I've had in, like, the past ten chapters. I think it's just cause it's been so long and I got hyped from tonight's episode. Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading, and I'll leave you guys with a little question.**

 **If, in the show, Malcom never removed his Shadow, why did Peter Pan not have a shadow? It could be that he did remove it and I'm just an idiot, but it's just something I noticed. Anywho have a good evening!**


	21. Undone

**WOO! Shall we do this? I think it's gonna be interesting from now on as the changes I've made to the story really start to come into effect. We're drifting away from the original story and are finally getting to the point (or approaching the point) where I can make dialogue and reactions by myself.**

 **Without scripting the show, like the first several chapters were. To everyone that's stuck with me so far, high fives all around! It's for that reason that we'll just assume that Emma and the others of the original cast can make it to their destinations without me narrating it. They're big kids now.**

 **Besides we've got so much else going on!**

 **Anyway it's late and I have relatives coming tomorrow so it's probably a good idea to get on with it yeah? I hope you enjoy this one and thank you so much for the support!**

* * *

Auria's POV

"I think I hear something." Auria says, peering into the thick jungle a little ways from camp. Regina steps over to her and listens with Auria for a moment. Sure enough, a voice carries through the vegetation, causing Regina to widen her eyes. She nods and motions for us to go forward towards the sound.

"It's Trinity, I'm sure of it." Regina explains, pressing her lips together apprehensively. If what Lily said is true, the girl Trinity could be a potential threat, yet Regina doesn't appear to be considering whether or not to go to the girl, but it's more like she's plotting a strategy for when she does find her.

"Should we get Emma?" Auria asks, but Regina shakes her head almost instantly.

"We can't waste time. Trinity will surely know where Henry and Pan are. Besides, It's my fault she's here." The queen says the last part so quietly that Auria isn't even sure if she heard it right.

"Your fault?" Auria exclaims but is quickly shushed after the sound of her voice starts to carry into the jungle. "Sorry." She whispers and Regina nods.

"It's alright. The reason behind that being that she's not one of us, not cursed by all this. She was on a path that she could've made it the mortal world. I dragged her back into this when I met her. If I hadn't...who knows?" Regina pauses and Auria is just about to respond when they hear the girl's voice more clearly, along with something else.

What is that sound? It resembles the noise the shadow made when it escaped the shell, but what's that thing doing with the girl? They break into a clearing and see two figures. One is a girl with choppily cut brown hair, with clothes that resemble, but look nicer than, the ones the lost boys wear.

In front of her is definitely the Shadow, and the strange being is just close enough to the girl that with its arm stretched out, its figures barely brush her cheek. Auria pulls out the knife and Regina creates a ball of flame in her right hand. The Shadow looks to us and growls, but flies away from the girl.

"Trinity!" Regina exclaims, and Auria gasps when Trinity's knees give out. Regina shoots several balls of flame at the Shadow, and Auria moves over to the girl. She puts her hand on Trinity's shoulder, but the girl just shakes as if it wasn't twenty degrees too warm in the jungle.

"Are you alright?" Auria asks, shifting her gaze from the Shadow, to the locks of hair spread out, and back to the girl. Trinity shakes her head, holding her arms to her chest and breathing heavily. She's going to hyperventilate if she doesn't slow down. "Listen to me, you need to calm down."

Suddenly, Auria looks up as four boys run up to them. Regina turns, and the Shadow flies off with the distraction. The queen starts to wave her hand for a sleeping spell, but Auria holds up hers. "No, wait!" She says, recognizing Rufio as one of the four boys. A different boy runs past Regina and to Trinity.

"What happened to her?" Rufio asks and Auria shakes her head. Regina puts a hand on her shoulder to move her aside, and the queen looks at the girl with concern in her eyes.

Within the second that Regina kneels down to take Auria's place, Trinity grabs the woman's arm. Auria moves over to Rufio, but the boy's attention is all on Trinity. "It's okay, you're safe now." The queen begins to saying an awkward attempt to comfort the girl.

"No, Regina. Henry is in trouble. You have to go to Skull Rock, Peter might hurt him." Trinity says hastily and seems to temporarily regain herself. Regina thinks for a second, but then nods.

"Auria, I'm going to get the rest of us. Hopefully they've figured out a plan by now. Please, stay with Trinity. We'll find you once it's over." The queen says, obviously eager to rescue her son. Auria nods and watches as the woman leaves in a puff of smoke. Trinity stands up and glances over Auria.

"Unless you know a better place, we should probably stay here." At least she looks better now than she did before. Honestly Auria doesn't know what good it does leaving herself to protect these five. "You guys are far better off than me." Rufio sniffs, and Auria takes a deep breath before giving him a weak smile. Baby steps.

"You're probably right, but there's something we need to do." Trinity responds shakily, still holding her arms close to her chest. "Just...gimme a moment." Auria tilts her head, not having more than three seconds to wonder what Trinity means before the girl promptly hurls in the bushes.

* * *

Trinity's POV

My stomach twists as I meet the blue glow of the Shadow's eyes. Strange...sometimes it's red, sometimes it's blue. "He let you go for power." The Shadow taunts while I stand there staring at it intently. I should be angry. I feel like I should be furious but the only emotion that moves through me is unease.

Like I'm not where I should be. As if I'm doing something wrong just by being here. "Peter loves me." Lips barely moving, I speak with confidence, as if I finally found a foothold in a whirlpool. "If he let me go, he did it for me."

"Fine, then now that you're back you should know everything that's going on- if he loves you so much. What's happening with him right now?" It flies around me, and I turn to keep up with it.

"He and Henry are going to Skull Rock." My head throbs and I stop spinning. That island... There's something there that I'm missing. "Henry..."

"Henry, is that his name? I've been waiting for so long, I almost don't care about the details anymore. His heart is all I- we- want." The Shadow moves in front of me but I can't seem to physically react anymore. My thoughts rage with panic and frustration, and the overflow of negative emotions feels like ants crawling up the back of my throat.

Some mental war is waging itself on inside me and my current consciousness doesn't yet know which side I'm on. In one hand I know I should trust Peter to do what's best, I love him. On the other the images of him hurting Henry rip the word 'love' in my mind to shreds over and over again.

It's a color by number and the paint is in black and white, I don't know what's essential and the only way to move forward is to figure it out. Time is stopped once more, and my body freezes solid. "Henry will die tonight, but you can't do anything to stop it." The Shadow's hand starts moving slowly towards my face, and I swallow hard.

"Why are you telling me this!?" I manage to raise my voice to ask, the only thing I can force out of my mouth.

"Because." The cold, dark fingers touch my cheek and my stomach rolls. "I need Peter to have no weaknesses. The only thing left was you, now I'm just checking to see how tight his leash on you is." As soon as the words are out of its mouth, two people burst through the trees.

Regina calls my name, and the Shadow flies away. As soon as it's gone, my knees buckle and the world momentarily turns upside down. Henry...oh my god, Henry. My breathing escalates as the two combating forces inside me seem to counteract each other. I've known it all along, ever since Peter and I took my drawing of a boy to Skull Rock, and the Shadow explained it to us.

I just hoped...wished that Peter would find a different way. The girl with Regina asks me if I'm okay, and I shake my head.

Like a fuse snapping, I can't feel anything anymore.

* * *

Peter's POV

He leads Henry into the Skull caves, curious as he feels Trinity's heartbeat jump all over the place. She would be one able to resist the spell, but it will hold her until he's done with Henry. After that, he'll just have to convince her just like he did before. After telling Henry to go ahead, he creates a spell to delay the intruders.

It's time for the fun to begin, and Peter's been waiting such a long time.

* * *

 _Past~_

 _Peter's feet touched the ground with a thump, and seconds later Trinity slid out of his arms. "This is definitely not the place I want to be while consulting the future of this little boy." She muttered under her breath and Peter rolled his eyes with a grin._

 _"Just be lucky, princess, that I'm letting you come here at all." He gloated, personally quite proud of his creation. He made this when he accepted Neverland's magic. Of course it wasn't really the friendliest of rocks, but he didn't exactly want anyone coming here to explore._

 _Trinity snapped her head to him with an irritated look. "Don't call me that, Peter Pan." She threatened and he held up his hands. Felix called her that all the time, and she never complained then. "I have a name, would anyone in this place like to learn it?" She grumbled and he snorted, giving her a sidelong glance._

 _"Fine, Trin." He said her name tauntingly and flew ahead of her, knowing that she was always provoked by him being able to glide so easily. She raced after him, on feet might he add, and he laughed as the game begun. They raced to the top, and obviously he made it first, even though there was a minor advantage._

 _"Woah." Trinity gaped at the huge hourglass, a little more than halfway full. He knew he was running out of time much quicker than he had hoped, but maybe this boy would be the key to changing that. "This is insanely ominous. Ever consider redecorating to not-skulls?"_

 _"Nope, it just popped up this way. Besides I like it." He said, admiring the hourglass and she muttered something under her breath to the regards of 'you would'. Before Peter had the chance to mention that she was the one who unconsciously drew a boy's face while staring into the fire very cryptic-like, the Shadow flew in._

 _"Why did you bring someone, you were never supposed to show anyone this place." The Shadow said to him, and he nodded, feeling the familiar sense of darkness wash over him like it did every time he saw the Shadow._

 _"Excuse me, big bad shadow puppet? I drew the boy's face so I get to know what it means." Trinity sassed back after Peter didn't defend her presence to the Shadow. Truthfully he was just interested in seeing how she would tell it off. Peter leaned against the golden skulls surrounding the hourglass and Trinity shot him an annoyed look. "Either tell me what it is too or the paper goes up in flame."_

 _The Shadow seemed to stare her down, but Peter already knew the Shadow wouldn't refused what he told it to do. Especially something like this. "As you wish." Trinity nodded and the Shadow jumped into an explanation about the heart of the truest believer and how the boy would have to die to keep Peter Pan immortal._

 _"Neverland will die unless this boy is sacrificed, it's how it must be." The Shadow concluded, and with that, the cryptic being flew off. Stars had already begun to illuminate the night sky and Peter yawned, intrigued by the new challenge but growing bored of seeing Trinity's face constantly apprehensive. Something had been wrong about her ever since she drew the boy's face._

 _"Relax, Trin. We can take one boy. What are you so worried about?" Peter asked, almost afraid of what she would say. He didn't want to fight with her, but he'd known this was the case all along. Now that they had the boy's face, however, the search could be completed much easier._

 _"You're seriously considering this Peter?" She exclaimed with an outraged expression on her face. He didn't understand, why was one boy's life so important, especially compared to the entire Island of Neverland. "What the hell?"_

 _"You're thinking about it too much, people died all the time where Felix and I come from. It's called a deal. I'm sure the boy has done something that caused him to be tied to this, anyway." Peter walked over to her, but she glared at him with fire in her eyes. He knew he'd brought her from a life without much cause for death, but he thought she would understand at least something like this._

 _"And if the boy hasn't done anything wrong? If he has nothing to do with this? You can't take someone else's life because you want to stay young! If Neverland has to go...if you start to grow older...would it be that bad?" She asked, the fury in her eyes slowly abating and her tone becoming less harsh. Instead she almost pleaded with him, as if she'd been thinking about this before._

 _"Of course it would! This is our life! Me, Felix, the lost boys. It shouldn't all have to change because of one kid!" Peter said and the fire returned to her like a violent swing of a fist. They went on arguing about it until Trinity demanded that Peter take her back to the tree house. After that she slammed the door and locked it, as if it would keep him out, leaving Peter scratching his head as he flew back to the Lost Boys._

 _Several weeks later, Peter pulled her up from the unplanned dive Trinity had taken into the mermaid pool. Felix shooed away the mermaids while Peter tried used his magic to get the water out of her lungs. "Are you nuts!?" He demanded, furious as much at himself as he was at her. She had stormed away from him for the seventeenth time since their fight on Skull Rock, but this time she'd slipped and fallen straight into the mermaids._

 _No one else but Felix knew what they were fighting about, but the mermaids had their own sense of whacked up justice anyway. They would've drowned each other if Peter asked them to, and normally he figures he should be glad he has that way with ladies, but that afternoon he cursed at them._

 _"I'm fine...just a little water never hurt anyone. Don't." She groaned and tried to sit up, pushing Peter away and refusing his magic. He suddenly regretted how much they were fighting, and wanted nothing more than for her to let him heal her. She coughed up more water and shivered, feeling a cold breeze suddenly come through._

 _"I'm sorry Trin...just let me do this." He asked, knowing better not to heal her without her permission. Last time didn't end well, that's for sure. She glared up and him and he realized that she wouldn't be appeased unless he agreed with her on this. "Fine. If I don't hurt the boy, will you stop glaring daggers at my back and be reasonable for the first time in weeks?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and she nodded._

 _"You have to promise, Peter. Swear that you won't hurt him." Peter saw the Shadow watching them from a distance in the trees, but something about Peter figured she'd been right all along, and strangely didn't feel any regret by consenting._

 _"I promise. So long as you promise no more dips with the mermaids." He said and she grinned, the first she'd smiled in weeks, making his breath catch._

 _"Thank you." She whispered and reached her arms around his neck to hug him. He sat there confused for a minute, before she let go and Felix came over to help her stand up. Peter didn't quite understand what was happening yet between him and the strange new Lost Girl, but he'd never realized yet how much his focus started to gravitate towards her, more and more everyday._

* * *

Peter tries not to growl as the memory surfaces at such an inconvenient time. The boy promptly asks what's wrong, but Peter keeps leading him through the cave, promising that he'd simply bitten his tongue by accident. Still, raw guilt tries to poke at his stomach, making him narrow his eyes and truly bite his cheek to keep himself composed.

She has to understand. He'll make her understand, once she realizes that everything's for the better. Still Peter remembers the momentary regret he felt after going through with the spell he put on her, and wonders for a second the forbidden thoughts. What if this is all wrong, what if he'll regret this.

The unmistakable sense of darkness washed over him, and he shakes his head, throwing off his doubt. It's almost time.

* * *

Trinity's POV

"What happened to her?" I hear the girl with red hair ask Rufio in a hushed voice, meanwhile I'm hunched over emptying my stomach. They proceed to have a hushed argument, but stop when I wipe my mouth and stand up again. He promised, didn't he? So why am I not furious at him?

No, that's the thing. I _am furious_ with him. He's going to kill Henry so he and Neverland can stay immortal. Even after he promised he wouldn't. Even if it means doing something so undeniably evil. I'd tried to ignore it for so long. Kidnapping kids from their homes, forcing me and Henry to keep away from our family, ripping the shadows from Greg and Tamara.

He's not the same, ever since I've known him he's been growing more and more evil.

Something cracks inside of me, and I finally feel like I'm thinking my own thoughts. "Boys, we need to get back to the treehouse. Something there will help us." I say and then make eye contact with the girl. I try to smile, but it probably comes out more like a grimace. "I'm Trinity."

"Auria." She responds and nods her head. "I want to help, however I can. I'm Rufio's sister." I open my mouth to make a comment about that, but decide it'll probably be better to wait until a less urgent moment. I nod to her, and take one step before every muscle in my legs scream at me to stop. To not do anything about this.

"Sorry...Thank you for the help." I say to Auria and ruffle Pazi and Al's hair as they help me stand up. My muscles calm down, but they still complain. I'll assume that whatever the hell Peter did to me is still in my system. "The treehouse isn't far but we don't have much time." We start walking in the direction, slowly so I can make my body move along with my head. "I don't think I can climb the latter, so can someone else grab what we need from up there?"

"What is it?" Ollie asks, and I twist my lips thinking about how far Peter deceived me, wondering if anything that's happened has been honest.

"A Pan flute."

* * *

 **Wow so the events in this one played out sooner than I expected them to, but hey it works none the less. I'm super excited for this! Eek I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing this, and please leave a review to tell me what you think! Thank you so much and have a lovely evening/morning/day! *Legit falling asleep at the moment* Must...post...chapter...**


	22. Eclypse

**Alright my lovelies, how goes it? Currently I'm still obsessed to the max with Supernatural. It's one of those shows that has the perfect cast to match the characters, and the perfect plot to match the story. That one is going to stay with me always.**

 **Anyways, aside from me tear-bending just thinking about that and how something so simple affects me, I just want to share something with you guys. My friend might laugh at me when she sees me getting all soppy and emotional to the what, maybe sixty - seventy people that'll read this. Honestly I just want to tell everyone who reads how much I appreciate it, giving me this much of a chance.**

 **I watch this video today and (warning this'll go Mariana's trench level deep in .03 seconds) should anyone of you get a little joy out of this story then that makes my day. If anyone is going through a tough time, and feeling depressed or hopeless- please know that you are wonderful.**

 **Maybe it's conceited of me to think that anything I write on this will actually affect someone, but just remember that there's always someone who cares. Do me a solid and spread some kind things around after you read this!**

 **Thank you so much as always and let's get into this shall we? Also, I lied last time. I am going to give a little bit of narration for the original gang, but it'll be quick. Besides, it's a good way to lead into the juicy bits between Rumpel and Peter! It also kinda shows some relationships and all. One thing I won't show is the scene where Henry gives his heart to Peter. I'm not changing anything with that so there's no real reason for me to novelize it.**

 **However after that happens...mhm yup. Things will get spicy!**

* * *

Auria's POV

"Rufio and I will climb up, where is the flute supposed to be?" She asks, earning herself a glare from Rufio. He opens his mouth to reject, but clamps his mouth shut when Trinity nods in agreement. The girl slumps against the base of her tree, trying to hide a groan. Despite what Auria can guess is her best efforts, Trinity is struggling to even stand at the moment.

Who knows how she plans to use whatever is in the treehouse against Pan. "It should be in there somewhere. On the floor, maybe the desk. It's not a big room." Trinity says and the boy Pazi coaches her to drink some water. Auria can tell just by the look on her face that she'd rather be doing all of this by herself.

Too bad she isn't the first one of her kind that Auria has stopped from killing themselves via trying to do everthing themselves. Yeah, David. That's you. After taking a deep breath, she starts climbing up the ladder with Rufio behind her. Auria isn't exactly sure what she thinks she can do just by annoying Rufio like this, but talking alone for a minute while they ransack a treehouse can't be the worst bonding situation.

Right? ...Nothing really makes sense anymore, anyway.

She pulls herself up onto the wood planks at the top and offers Rufio a hand. He refuses it, and masterly swings himself up onto the deck-like structure as if he's done it a hundred time before. Then again, who's to say he hasn't? Auria frowns, thinking of all the ways he's had to grow up, despite this place supposedly being the opposite.

"You seem to care a lot about her. You, the other boys, and everyone else on this island." Auria notes as she follows him inside, and he sighs. After stopping for a few seconds he spots the flute on the ground and rushes towards it. She stands by the door, waiting for him to be forced to face her when he leaves, but he grabs one of the pillows and pulls the case off of it.

"She cares about us. Pan was always getting harsher and harsher on the lost boys, but she managed to protect us from going dark with him. When she left, it stayed with us. It's why the four of us don't follow Pan's orders." Rufio responds and Auria nods, trying not to squeak from the fact that he's talking to her while walking over to him. He grabs a couple of books and pulls something metal and square out from her bed.

"That's an odd box." Auria says, and Rufio shrugs while shoving it into the sack with the rest. He's still as stubborn as ever, it appears. Still, she's happy that he's finally telling her something.

"Before you ask what I'm doing," Rufio finally says, shooting her an exasperated look from under his bangs. "I'm getting the things she'll want to take with her when she leaves." He says, his voice lowering to almost a grumble.

"You're so certain she'll go? You don't want her to, do you?" Auria asks, but Rufio doesn't respond. "You've been waiting for her to come back all this time, but now you care enough about her to let her go? Your leader? Do all of the boys think this?" She asks and he shakes his head.

"The others boys'll...ya know it's none of your business." He says and tries to push past her out of the treehouse, but she grabs his arm. She can put it together, and now she's more worried than ever.

"Of course it's my business. The other boys are going with her, when those heroes take everyone home. Why aren't you going home? Rufio why do you have to stay here?" She demands, not angry but desperate to understand. He stops pulling against her hand, and she slowly loosen its grip. "Why did Pan take you in the first place, a boy with a loving family?" She murmurs, knowing from what she's gathered that Peter Pan takes boys who feel neglected by their families.

"We don't have time for this." He says, holding up the flute. Auria takes it in her hand, and bends down look Rufio in the eyes. For the first time he really meets them, and then he sighs again. He's growing up. He's not a lost boy. He's not meant to be here, he doesn't connect with the island the way the other boys do. "Pan told me that you weren't able to become whole as a fairy because of a spell someone cast. He said he would break it if I came with him, but if I ever left Neverland he would change it back."

He barely whispers the words, a little boy confessing about the kids that were picking on him. He doesn't want to, because he knows his pride will be hurt. He thinks he doesn't need any help, that he can do it all on his own.

"Oh Ru. I was created like this, there's no spell on me. Besides, I broke all the fairy rules trying to get you back. And you know, I'd do it again any day." Auria says and brushes the hair out of his eyes. He crinkles his nose and storms away, snatching the flute from her hand and jumping on a rope hanging from a branch, using the sack to protect his hands from rope burn. She stand up and grabs a spare cloth, waiting until he's on the ground to do the same.

On her way down the wind blows the spare tears in her eyes away, and she wishes she had a few more moments to talk to him before he ran off. ...Baby steps...

When she hits the ground, Auria turns to see Rufio hand Trinity the flute. The girl cups his cheek, and Auria watches from a distance as Trinity searches his face. Two seconds and the girl recognizes something is wrong. Rufio brushes it off and Trinity gives him a smile that he turns away from.

"So what are you planning on doing with it?" Auria asks, walking over from the rope and noticing that one of the twins and the boy Pazi are gone. She looks around and sees them through the trees, probably keeping watch for nasties in the woods.

"This." Trinity says and take a big breath before snapping the flute in half. A piercing ring makes everyone cover their ears, and the flute catches on fire after Trinity drops it. Before Auria can ask another question, she was getting good at not understanding anything these days, a big blast of air knocks her off her feet. When she stands back up, three ghostly figures hover around them, and Auria puts her hand over her mouth. Perhaps nows a better time to watch and gain from what plays out.

* * *

Third Person POV

"You see, it's a trade. Once Peter becomes immortal...Henry will die" Wendy says and the ultimatum strikes everyone with a feeling almost sepulchral, as if someone's grave had already been dug. Several minutes later, as the team is separating, Regina poofs back in. Soon, all stories had been told and everyone had a fair idea of what was going on where.

"Was she hurt? Did she know she'd been put under a spell?" Emma asks, obvious concern for the girl she bossed about like her own child showing, just not slowing her down from getting to her son.

"She seemed like she was fighting whatever is going on with her." Regina responds.

"Should we go get her first, make sure she's alright?" Mary Margaret asks, but Regina shakes her head impatiently.

"Auria is with her, and those boys Regina said she seems to trust, besides she wants us to get to Henry." Emma notes before frowning nervously.

"The sooner she's out of this place, the better. That's for sure." Neal adds stubbornly, confirming Emma's suspicion that this got more under the man's skin than he likes to let on. Soon Emma, Neal, Regina, and Rumpelstiltskin are all getting off the boat, and stepping onto Skull Rock.

Ominous winds pass by them, and the faint sound of whispers from far away makes the limit on their time feel even more imminent. Rumpelstiltskin passes through the barrier, leaving the rest of them to figure out their own way in. The time is still ticking around the clocks steadily, yet everything seems to pass in an instant when lives are on the line.

* * *

Third Person (With our lovely guests: Rumpelstiltskin and Peter Pan)

"Hello, Laddie." Peter says, raising an eyebrow. "Oh but, look who's grown up."

Rumpel tries to ignore the fact that even though the face hasn't changed, the teenager's attitude has grown almost darker than his own. Both of them changed quite a bit since their last heart to heart, but there is no doubt at least a sliver of regret buries inside Rumpelstiltskin. "Where's Henry?"

"Why is it that everyone is so worried about that little boy? Trinity did the same thing, wouldn't stop droning on about him. I think I'm doing you chaps a favor." Peter rolls his eyes at the man's stone cold expression, but twists his mouth up in a smirk anyway. "Either way, he's far out of your reach."

"Not for long." Rumpelstiltskin reaches for the box, but Peter holds up his hand.

"Come on now, can't we chat just a little longer. Like the good old days?" Peter suggests, and sees a flash in the man's eyes.

"We were very different then...practically other people." Rumpelstiltskin retorts and Peter laughs like he's sharing a joke with a close friend.

"I think we were always quite similar. We both ended up the same, didn't we? You always begged for Felix and I to play swords with you. Preparing for your army days, yes? How did that turn out, anyway? I heard not so well." Peter could see Rumple's hand twitch on the box, and the dark one was becoming more agitated by the second, thinking about the days of his short childhood.

"Those times means nothing." Rumple exclaims. To his surprise, Peter shakes his head, donning a regretful look that could almost be taken as sincere.

"Is that what you honestly think? All of this, you think it has nothing to do with you? Why do you think I gather boys to be my soldiers? The fires in the woods, the games we play? It's for the kids like us, that were abandoned by their parents. I planned it all out on this island, for you and Felix to join me here." Peter explains, but Rumpelstiltskin just narrows his eyes.

Peter sighs an keeps going, hoping that he'll get through. "I came back. You remember that, I'm sure. But you refused me. You'd thought you'd found a place in that dusty town. A girl to crush on, a job, a future in growing up." Peter crinkles his nose, remembering how betrayed he was that day. He didn't take Rumple home, but he took other boys instead.

That had been the start of all of it. "You've seen all of this. What do you have left? Another woman? That ended well last time. Stay here, we can start over. You could be a lost boy at last, with Felix and I. You could erase everything that's happened, and there'll be no one able to drag you back." Peter says with a grin on his face, hoping to convince him once and for all.

Rumpelstiltskin couldn't deny that the idea of erasing all of his mistakes, and starting over, was tempting. Still, it wasn't hardly enough to make him abandon his son again, or leave Belle alone. "No. I lost my son once, and I regretted it with my entire being afterword. I'll never do that again, not for anything." He declares and waves his hand over the box, only to find it does nothing.

Peter pulls out another box, hiding the ugly feelings of being rejected again with a triumphant smirk. "I don't understand." Rumple murmurs, but realization sparks up behind his shock. "You switched them."

"Yup. Here on Neverland, if you'd stayed with me you might've learned, that you just have to imagine something to get it. Even if it's a fake." Peter frowns, knowing what he has to do now. "I'll be seeing you, then." He waves his hand over the box, and Rumple barely gets a protest out before he's pulled into the box, unable to help the others.

* * *

Tink's POV

"I don't suppose you're here for anything else other than that woman?" Tink asks, referring to Emma. The sudden, odd eclipse passes by and Hook rolls his eyes, but she knows he's just as bored as she is. Neither of them were made to stand guard over of bunch of sleeping kids, especially since they'd finished binding all of the boys' hands ages ago.

"Technically I'm here for the boy, but that also loops around to Emma. So, I guess not. However despite what you may believe, I'm in it for the long run. I think I've shown that I'm not as much of a villain as I was before." Hook says, taking a swig from his flask once he's done.

"That woman's going to turn you into a class A hero at this rate. Her parents won't let anyone less go near her." Tink teases and Hook scoffs. "I don't know, though. You did quite the deeds as Pan's lackey for a while there." At this Hook gives her a warning glare, and she smirks.

"At least we both show that we have to guts to go against him. Thanks for helping us." Hook grunts and she pinches her lips. She really didn't want to risk it, but something gave her the sense that they would pull through. Of course, it was just that sense that also told her to run for the hills. Every time she felt that way, it turned out for the worst.

As if the universe were reading her thoughts for the best time to strike, a sudden burst of energy makes her and Hook loose their footing for a second. They share a look, and Tink wonders if she imagined the green tint the energy had to it. "I don't like this." Hook and Tink say at the same time. They both grab their swords, but when they turn to the boys they see that most are awake and untied.

"Oh, but we do." One voice drawls, and Tinker Bell recognizes him as Felix by the scar and the club. Seven other boys stand behind Felix, and Tink curses herself for thinking things would end so well. "And next time, I wouldn't bother tying up a lost boy. You're nothing compared to the Natives."

* * *

 **Hey hey hey! This one is definitely shorter compared to the others recently but I figured I might as well get something out to you. The major stresses of the season are over for me and it should be smooth sailing for a while. Also, no I am not in anyway suggesting something between Tink and Hook, aside from friendship that is. They kinda boot Tink out after this, but since I don't have to worry about anything the show has to (like actors getting paid and contracts and bad writing) Imma keep her in.**

 **What? Oh no just ignore that last bit in between the parenthesis, that's only referring to season five.**

 **Anywho, I really hope you enjoyed this one and have a good rest of the twenty-four hour time set that you are currently in!**


	23. Rain

**It's been too long, I know, but turns out- as my special friend was oh so happy to point out to me- its notso smooth sailing right now. Just been busy with projects and fundraisers and emotional crap. My friends and I call it going deep dish pizza.**

 **Enough about that. Let me tell you this, the more I write about Peter Pan and his habits doing Peter Pan stuff the more creeped I am. I mean honestly, if you weren't imagining Robbie Kay right now how weird would it be for a late teen to lure other kids to a campsite to dance around and possibly spend their immortal life living with him on a island.**

 **I apologize for making Peter a late teen but I mean what can you do? It's just...Robbie Kay! Well, I just want to get to the non-slightly-creepy romance. Because it's coming.**

 **And it'll be feel good development and all. For now though, I guess we'll just have to see how it goes. Thank you so much, and please drop a review if you see fit! I hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Trinity's POV

It wasn't two seconds after they appeared that another wave of energy crashes over us. I have to hold in my stomach, because something about the greenish wave makes me want to puke. Despite the disruption, or maybe because of it, I don't miss Rufio grab for Auria's arm, as if to pull her behind him to protect her. She gets there first, however, but Rufio rips his arm out of her hand.

"Auria. Crim, Myrtle, and Luna. Crim, Myrtle, Luna. Auria. Glad that's settled." I say and the three wispy girls smile down at me. Ollie lightly holds onto my right wrist, reminding me that we aren't through yet. I stand up, the pain in my all my movements that defy Peter's spell easing a bit.

Crim whispers something to Luna and then to Myrtle. Myrtle nods and disappears, but Luna shoots Crim a look of annoyance and maybe even bitterness before she fades out. "We still don't have much energy, and I figured they should save theirs. Pan used the flute to create a barrier, to ward us off." Crim explains with a frown.

"I don't suppose you were the cause of that little green energy burst, were you?" Auria asks but Crim shakes her head.

"I can't do much on this Island, but stay close to Trinity." Crim says and I bite my lip. I guess she won't be very good for reconnaissance then. Still, something seems off about her. As if it's more than just the island that's preventing her from being a badass spirit girl.

She looks... almost tired.

"Either way, sitting at the bottom of your treehouse isn't going to do anything good for us right now." Rufio points out and I nod. These woods are still dangerous.

"You're right. We need to get to Emma...hopefully whatever just passed through wasn't..." I trail off, thinking about Peter actually taking Henry's heart. It's hard to imagine, but not hard to believe. Especially because of what the darkness is doing to him, I have no doubt he's capable of such things.

Then, as I'm lost in thought, Pazi and Al run up to us with worried looks. "He's coming." Pazi says out of breath and I put a hand on his shoulder. Before I can ask who, he points to the sky in the distance and says, "Pan." After a millisecond of processing I take a breath and start planning.

"He's probably coming for me, which means he'll be here within the minute. Auria, I need you to take the broken flute with you. Both parts. Ollie, Al- run quickly that way and get out of sight." I say, quickly handing Auria the flute and pointing the boys in the direction past the tree house. "When you get the chance find my friends as quick as possible and regroup with Rufio and Pazi. You two." I turn and address them. "This is going to be dangerous, are you prepared?"

"Yes." The don't hesitate and speak in unison, and I smile briefly before kneeling in front of them.

"You two are accustomed enough to how the Natives work. If Pan really does have the upper hand there's no doubt the tribe is going to support him. If we're going to move anywhere on this Island without spears at our backs then they have to be neutralized. I trust that you know what I mean." I say and they nod. THe Natives aren't bad people, but we don't have any spare time for negotiations.

"I will go with them." Auria says and I open my mouth to object but see the determination in her eyes. I glance at Rufio and he's glaring at her. I wish I could have a few more seconds to think, but time is very much spent. I nod to her with a warning in my eyes.

"Just move quickly, please be careful. Pazi take care of them." I say and she nods, gripping the flute tight in her hands. "Go!" I say and the three run off in one direction while Olli and Al run off in the other. Seconds after they're gone I bite my cheek hard enough to make my eyes water, and hear a whooshing sound above me.

Crim, who had watched the entire time, looks to me with a question in her eyes. 'Follow my lead.' I mouth and she nods. I spin on my heels, turning my back to her. "Just leave me alone!" I scream, breathily over my shoulder. Peter lands in front of me and I hunch my shoulders and shrink into myself.

"How can I?! You expect me to leave you like this?" She demands, playing her role beautifully. Peter, who was grinning at first, watches with a raised eyebrow.

"Did I stutter!? You play that you care about me but you can't even try to understand how I feel! Just leave!" I exclaim and turn around to her with my back to Peter, growing a serious look in my eye. She wrinkles her nose in disgust but disappears anyway, and I have to turn my relieved sigh into a cough.

Great, everyone's gone and I have a clean slate to work with. The only thing left to do is figure out how the hell I'm supposed to deal with Peter Pan who's hopped up on enough darkness to make Rumpelstiltskin shiver. Oh right, that and not completely breaking down since everything I've ever cared about has inevitably fallen to pieces so far, and the trend seems to have no end.

* * *

 _Peter's POV (Past)_

 _"There aren't many people in this land that wouldn't run away from your Shadow." Felix said matter-of-factly, with crossed arms and nonchalantly leaning against the side of a large oak. Peter raised his eyebrows, considering the thought of the young girl being genuinely afraid of him._

 _"It's not that bad, besides the girl ran into him_ and _attacked me first. I think she was more surprised about my shockingly good looks." Peter said as he began to light the fire. The lost boys that he'd brought with him were loudly messing around with each other, and it was about the time that Peter usually started playing the pipes, but he'd been distracted for a bit._

 _"Sure, so why did she attack you?" Felix asked and Peter threw a stick at him. His friend snickered and Peter could almost guarantee Felix was dying to make another comment about how he scared away a girl, but Peter pulled up his pipes after starting the fire._

 _It's not like it really mattered to either of them very much anyway. Females were a waste of time to him and the lost boys, since it's usually the boys being ignored by their mothers who come to them. Peter couldn't care less about whether he scared one away or not._

 _Felix dropped the subject too, and soon the lost boys were hollering and dancing around the fire. Peter enjoyed the way the normalcy of it all let his mind drop the dilemma of the girl, but after a while of playing the pipes, Peter nearly choked on them when he saw a pair of eyes peeking out from behind a tree._

 _It wasn't really the eyes that surprised Peter, as new comers generally were a little hesitant before joining in with the other lost boys, it was the long, brown hair that fell from the head that the eyes belonged to. Too long to belong to a boy in this land, but no girl has ever come to his song before._

 _The music and it's spell didn't stop when he stopped playing, it lingered in the air as an echo. Felix looked up when Peter walked over, and Peter tried not to let the girl know that he knew she was there. Lightly, Peter tapped Felix's arm and nodded his head to the girl who disappeared behind the tree when Felix looked over with zero on a one to ten scale of subtly._

 _Then, as she moved away from the tree and put one hand on her hip, he soon realized that the long brown hair was all too familiar. The same girl who he'd run into before stood with pinched lips and an annoyed look on her face. "I have no idea what the hell kinda gang you're tryna' start here," She said with a firm and loud voice. "But this is private property, so you're either going to skedaddle or cough up some cash to keep me quiet."_

* * *

Trinity's POV

"That was quite the scene." Peter comments and I wipe at my eyes. "Not exactly what I was expecting." I sniff and turn back around to him, giving him a smile. Another plan formulating in my head, I shrug and step closer to him. I stare at the ground instead of at him, the new, more powerful looking him.

Henry's heart is inside him, I can feel it. The only thing keeping my stomach inside me is that I might have a chance to get it back.

His hand brushes past my ear and he fingers a lock of my choppy short hair in his hands. I glance at him only briefly, avoiding his chest, and see his nostrils flare and his eyebrows twitch while he tries to keep straight face. A cut on his cheek makes me wonder who finally got the upper hand on him. "What happened? There were more people here before. Did they do this?" He asks and I shake my head.

"It's complicated, that was my band of lost boys, but they ran off saying that I wasn't myself anymore." I say soflty and his eyes tighten. I put my hand on his beside my head and hold it there. "The Shadow was... testing me I think. For some reason it must not have thought I understood what you were doing."

Peter sighs and starts to say something, but I interrupt him. "I do, I swear I understand it Peter. It's not...the easiest thing to cope with but I know it must be harder on you. You're doing this for me and the Island, but you've had to do so many regrettable things to get here." I say quickly and his eyes soften. The charade is easy to pull off as I remember clearly the spell from just minutes before.

The only thing that makes me stiffen is when Peter hugs me, wraps his arms around me, and when I rest my head on his chest I hear two heartbeats. I can't stop my eyes from watering, the constant image of Henry lying on the ground without his heart irresistible.

"I love you. I promised we would make it this far." He says and my stomach twists. I have to move fast, there's no time to spare.

"I know. I know Peter." I whisper and finish figuring out my strategy. Okay Trin, believe in yourself. I pull back only slightly and tilt my head up giving him a soft smile. "Will we celebrate alone or with Felix?" I ask and he grins a bit.

"Felix is keeping the intruders at bay. For now it's just us." He responds and I clearly see darkness congregating in his eyes. As if blocking his vision from the light, I can't help but wonder if he can even see straight.

This is not him, this is not who he is. "Sounds amazing." I say. He wouldn't be so fooled by this, he would see right through me. Slowly I press my lips to his, and he follows my lead. I put my hand on his cheek, and his skin feels so cold.

My hand trails down from his cheek to his neck, then to his shoulder. I concentrate magic in my hand but it's not enough, I can feel that it wouldn't be able to pull Henry's heart back out. He runs his hand through my short hair, resting it at the top and far back of my skull.

My eyes open, but while Peter and I kiss I can see Crim behind him. She makes a motion as if to calm down and focus. Focus on what has to be done. I close my eyes again and picture it like concentrating fire in my hand, but instead it's the magic to pull a heart out.

Peter begins to pull back but I place my left hand to his cheek again, and my right hand moves down to his chest. Now he pulls back, and we break the kiss, but he doesn't pull away from the position. I take deep breaths and he looks at me carefully. "It's odd, that you didn't say 'I love you' back, you know." He whispers with a sick, ominous foundation for the words to stand on.

My eyes widen as neither of us moves for a second, and before he says another words I push my hand into his chest, and grasp the heart.

* * *

Auria's POV

It's not that Auria was scared of the Natives, cause she totally wasn't. No, no. She was scared that the two little boys in front of her also weren't scared of the Natives. They run to find them like they've done it a thousand times before.

"What's the plan?" Auria asked after taking in a huge breath. The three of them stop and Rufio looks back in the direction they ran from. He clutches the bag of Trinity's things that he never got to give her.

"We 'ave to distract the Natives, and when we asked Lily to help us tell Trinity's family about the spell, it seemed like most of their Warriors were out on orders of Pan. Maybe if we cause disruption in their camp the they'll come back and take care of us instead." Pazi suggests and Auria widens her eyes.

"Maybe a fire, or we could hold someone for ransom." Rufio says and Pazi nods. Auria shakes her head and bites her lip.

"What are you two talking about? If all their warriors are away than their camp is being left unguarded. Innocent people are residing there. Surely that is not what Trinity meant." She says and Rufio rolls his eyes.

"She said to do what we have to, we don't have time to debate what the right thing to do is." Rufio fires back, but Pazi considers it.

"We can try to talk to them again. Lily seemed like a respectable person. I'm sure she'll be able to see peace." Auria insists but Rufio starts walking away again. She huffs and knows he just doesn't want to dissapoint the girl Trinity by doing it wrong.

Pazi follows Rufio but Auria has to take a few more moments before continuing on. Her muscles are weak from her long dreamlike state in the maze, and with the failure of her trying to convince Rufio, she suddenly feels very tired.

Then, a new voice makes her jump, and Auria looks widely around to find it's person. "I thank you for your faith, girl. However, I also have limited time for negotiations. Sadly I must dissapoint you." Auria looks back to where Rufio and Pazi are, but they're too far ahead to hear.

"Please, the people here are only trying to protect their loved ones." She says and her hand immediately moves to her necklace. "Why do you have to stop them?"

"We act in the name of self defense. My people are endangered by yours, so I must strike first." Lily says and grips her spear. Auria frowns and squeezes her necklace.

"No. They don't want to hurt you at all. That's the last thing they want to do! Don't you see, the only one hurting is Pan- the one making you do regrettable things to people you've never met! How can you claim that you act in self defense when you refuse to understand that the people you defend from have not attacked yet!?" Auria exclaims and Lily narrows her eyes.

From the shadows of he woods, dozens of Native warriors appear, one by one. Lily holds up her hand, as if to stop them.

Auria takes a deep breath, and swallows hard. "If any of us truly wanted to cause you any harm...would I be trying to talk after you've previously held a spear to my throat?" She finishes and Lily seems to think about it, and then relax.

A man that Auria recognized as a Native that was often at Lily's side walks up to talk to her. "The girl is right." Lily says softly, and the man nods. Auria holds her breath, but let's it loose when Rufio scares her by grabbing her wrist.

Pazi moves to her other side, and takes a defensive poss, but Lily just glances down humorously at him. "Very well." Lily says and puts away her spear into some sling on her back. "We will withdraw from this conflict. Girl, I trust that you and your friends will resolve this." Lily turns to her warriors and makes motion with her hand. In seconds they've dissapeared into their woods again.

Auria has her mouth hanging slightly open, murmuring a small thank you even though she knows they're long gone. "You two didn't burn anything down yet, did you?" She asks and Rufio snorts. Pazi grins and Auria widens her eyes. "That's a no, right!?"

* * *

Third person POV

The two lost boys arrived at the camp just in time to save the pirate and ex-fairy from being killed by the other lost boys. While Felix had left to find Trinity's lone band, the rest of the lost boys that were left at camp were eventually subdued when Regina, Emma, and Neal came back to help. Snow and Dvaid eventually joined them, and they were able to gain the lost boys trust.

However, time was dwindling, and none of them truly knew how long they had to get the boy's heart back. A chill settled over them when the lost boys said that the most likely place for Pan to be is the tree house, or more accurately- wherever Trinity is.

However, at this point the lost boys said that they might just get more trouble from Felix, if any of them were to go to look for Peter. Regina nor Emma really worried about that particularly angsty teenager, that is until Hook reminded everyone that there was still one of them left out in the woods.

"Auria." The pirate gravely said, and without another word the group, as if deciding that they had all had enough worrying about kids in danger, moved efficiently and effectively. Still, no matter how motivated you are, even the best plans can have flaws.

* * *

 **Well would you look at that! A slightly suggestive ending, oh boy! Tell me if you guys think this one was either too rushed, too slow, or just right okay? I want to get a good pace for this story, but honestly I think I just want to wrap this part up.**

 **As much as I love Neverland, I'm also super excited for what comes after. I super appreciate everybody that reads this, and have a good evening everyone! Thanks a bunch! I'm falling asleep on my keyboard, just FYI.**


	24. Standing

**Eyo! That was maybe slightly a cliffhanger after that last one, well with Trinity that is. I think I've just rolled with this one as I wrote it, opened my hands to sky to see if it came to me sorta deal. Okay I'm not that hippy but it's hard to tell how far these chapters should go.**

 **My friend suggested that I do a recap sorta deal for every new chapter, so I thought hey sure. Probably if it's been like a week+ then I'll have a little input up here, in italics or something. I could probably take it down after the next chapter goes up, so people reading through aren't just like "Yeah whatever taking up space" Sounds like a plan? Cool? Cool.**

 **Anyway, how'd everyone that watched like the season five finale!? I was going insane the entire episode, but that was more because of how ridiculous the show's been getting instead of the actual plot. It was enjoyable, to say the least. But, enough of that. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy! Also please leave a review, I super enjoy them!**

* * *

Felix's POV

He has had enough. Gripping tight on the club, keeping a face of stone, and feeling pissed as hell, he moves through the Neverwoods in silence. He doesn't know which of them he's going to beat first, but both Peter and Trinity are asking for it. Severely asking for it.

Even before things had gotten out of hand, he'd known those two were an explosion waiting to happen. The first girl to come to one of his bonfires, Peter was always going to be interested in her. Felix used to think that, if he believed in the crap, destiny would be the explanation for them.

He hears voices, and starts moving towards them, despite knowing that it's not Peter or Trinity. Thing is, there is no destiny. Things don't happen because they're meant to or because some higher being is guiding them all. Felix always, ever since he was a kid, liked the idea that his life is his own. That he makes the choices, and nothing is entirely out of his control.

He chose this. He chose to be tied to Trinity and Peter.

What a dumbass.

"Who's there!?" A woman's voice yells out, and Felix scowls upon realizing that he was found. He moves out of the woods, and sees Shade and Bug next to the woman. Felix can only assume that it's the same girl who was looking for Shade all that time, Auria might've been her name.

"Would you look at that." Felix drawls and looks menacingly between the two lost boys. "You two, shouldn't be out here." He already knows they're traitors, but it's not them that he came to fight.

"Listen, we do not have to fight." Auria says, and Felix rolls his eyes.

"Sure, but then that would be no fun." He says and takes a step forward. Shade steps in front of Auria, and Felix wonders if it's even worth it to bother with them. Things are falling out of hand and, despite Peter's success, Felix can't seem him winning against these people.

Even so, should he stay loyal to Peter?

"We shouldn't try to fight him." Pazi says softly, and Felix nods.

"Instead, why don't you two do your job for once? Obey Pan's orders." Felix drawls, knowing that just like every other conflict, he's tired of passing on what Peter says to do.

"Stop it. These boys are not Pan's for taking. They aren't his pawns." Auria says and Felix frowns, taking another step forward. These three are no match for him, much less for Peter. After another step forward, the girl's hand moves to her necklace, with the other one on her knife that's strapped to her waist.

"They owe him, he saved them from neglecting families." Felix shoots back, but he didn't expect to see the girl's eye grow hard with anger. He stops advancing, instead watching curiously.

"That's a lie! He lied to Rufio, there was nothing wrong with his family, with our family." She fires and Shade makes an ugly face. He knows the real reason that Peter chose the boy, bringing him to Neverland was a lot more... personal. It's a good thing Trinity never found out or else Neverland would be in ruins already.

"Shade is a different case, that's true." Felix responds and he widens his eyes when she takes a step forward instead of backing up, to the surprise of him and the other lost boys. "What do you expect to do?"

"I am a fairy, it is my job to help where I can, and let the ones I help figure the rest out themselves." She says and Felix wrinkles his nose. "I am also good at reading people, and despite your lack of expression, I can read you clearly." She takes another step forward and Felix, against his urge to attack, doesn't move. "Listen, you don't owe Peter Pan either."

"What?" Felix knits his eyebrows, not understanding what the girl is trying to get at. Surely she's just trying to confuse him, to get the upper hand. "You shouldn't try to look into something you don't understand." Felix responds, dropping his bored demeanor.

"You don't have to be his pawn either. You're his friend, right? Why aren't you his equal?" She presses, and Felix glares at her.

"We are equal!"

"Are you!?"

By now they'd both advanced so that there's less than a foot between them. Felix doesn't respond, and suddenly something else joins them. Shade and Pazi pull Auria back just as Peter's shadow swoops through the space she was in two seconds before. The three of them fall back against the ground, and Felix looks at the Shadow with a glare.

* * *

Trinity's POV

I pull my hand out, the success of the spell buzzing through my hand as I hold Henry's heart. Peter falls to the ground, not even giving me a reaction aside from his shock. Somehow my feet move, two steps back, four, six.

"Trin..." Peter chokes out and my heart breaks all over again, seeing him defeated like this. Oh Peter...if only you had been on the right side.

I keep backing up, anable to turn away from him. He tricked me. He lied to me. He put a spell on me. He let me go. I owe him nothing, nothing at all. So why...why is it so hard to leave him?

I swallow hard, knowing what I have to do. "I forgive you." None of this was truly his fault...the darkness, the Shadow's influence did it all. I turn around and, clutching Henry's heart carefully to my chest, proceed to sprint into the forest. Tears wet my face, but I'm too afraid of dropping Henry's heart to wipe them away.

Then, in the midst of my blind escape, I tumble over two boys. Instinctually, my body twist so that my back takes the fall and Henry's heart doesn't hit the ground. I groan and rest my head on the dirt for a second before hauling myself back up.

"Trinity!" Two boys voices speak in unison, Al and Ollie. "What happened!?"

"Pet- ...Pan had Henry's heart, so I had to get it back. Listen to me, did they tell you where Henry is? Did you see him?" I demand breathlessly, and they nod.

"They took him to that big ship!" Al says and I nod, giving them a brief smile.

"You two did amazing, thank you." I look around and try to pinpoint which way the ship would be, but I can't tell. Panic rises in me. Who knows how long Henry has!? What if I don't get there in time!?

A familiar presence appears and Crimson's red wispy glow moves infront of me. "Trin, calm down. I can show you which way." She says, with an uncharacteristically serene of a demeanor. I nod and she flies straight up, above the tree line.

Al and Ollie watch her amazed, and I cradle the heart in my two hands as Crim searches. She calls out, pointing to the left of me, and I immediately dash off. Thoughts, wild thoughts, pass through my mind as adrenaline keeps me moving forward through the lack of rest.

Things are happening so fast, I must keep up.

* * *

Peter's POV

He'd taken out the box to show Trinity of just how big his success was, but he didn't get the chance to tell her. She ran off, leaving him to die for all she knows or cares. He can still feel her heartbeat, and how calm she was when it was beating out of control from his presence.

The spell must've broken, and he thought about it as he lay in agony on the ground. She'd been strong enough to break it after all. Peter could feel the darkness inside him outweigh what his heart felt for her, and soon it was just fury.

She should've listened to him, she was too foolish all along. He took a deep breath, and reached for the box that held Rumpelstiltskin. With his hand barely an inch away, a hand snatched it away.

"Would you look at this." Regina snarked, looking down on Peter's struggling.

"Trinity! Trinity are you here!?" Emma called out, staring up at the treehouse. Snow White called out for Trinity too, and Peter chuckled darkly, managing to pull himself into a sitting position against the tree. Slouching more than sitting, really, but upright nonetheless.

"She had a spell on her remember, maybe..." Snow White thought out loud and Peter chuckled darkly again. Seconds later a hand was against his throat, and another pulled the heart left in his chest out.

He didn't want to look at it, but found it in his peripheral vision anyway. It wasn't shrunken, but covered in a silky dark glow. It moved around his heart like a patrol, blocking out any light that might momentarily shine through.

"This isn't Henry's, he doesn't have it anymore." Regina said with a mixed tone, and shoved his heart back in him. Surely, she wasn't able to tell if it was a good thing to a bad thing. Peter would have said something, but there was still a hand closed sound his throat.

"Where is she!?" Emma demanded. "What have you done to her!?"

"Haven't you put the pieces together yet?" Peter taunted with difficulty, his entire body pulsing with agony. He had to get the heart back, but how? "Trinity's gone." The hand around his throat tightened, angered by his vague statement.

"Footprints..." Snow White mused, and pointed at the scuffs in the dirt floor that led away from the treehouse. "There are a lot of them, but this set is the only one with one pair of feet."

The hand was off his throat, and the three moved over to the footprints. "We should kill him now." Regina said, not bothering with a hushed tone.

"He can't hurt us now, he's too weak. We just need to get back home quickly." Snow White protested and for once Peter figured their goody-two-shoes act might be useful. This was followed by quick and harsh whispering, and Peter smirked when he realized that they didn't have a way home.

They left without anymore words to him, and Peter whistled to call his Shadow to him. Already, he was figuring out a plan that would make this look like a minor setback.

* * *

Auria's POV

She falls against Rufio and Pazi, something snapping in her hand. After wriggling off of the two boys, she stares down at the broken pendant in her right hand. What happened? She fell with her hand around the pendant and must've gripped it so hard that it broke. One wing from the pendant was still connected to the necklace, and the other sits in her palm.

"Lost boys, we will take the girl..." The Shadow's voice makes her skin crawl, as if someone is holding a blade to her neck. "Take her to her friends... when her heart doesn't pulse anymore." Auria widens her eyes and looks away from her pendant to the Shadow. It swoops down again, moving towards her with hands outstretched.

She barrel rolls away in the dirt, clenching the piece of metal in her hand. "Auria!" Rufio calls out and she processes what the Shadow just said. Pazi and Rufio won't hurt her, but Felix... She pulls out her knife and stabs the wooden club that came swinging down near her head. She uses the knife to direct the energy of the swing away from her, and yanks the knife out of the club as soon as she can.

"Felix! You don't have to do anything!" She pleads, feeling sympathy for the one so close to Pan. She was able to avoid fighting the natives, and she wants to be able to avoid fighting Felix as well. "We can work together!" Rufio grabs her elbow and pulls her out of the way of another swing from Felix.

"No...you follow Pan's orders, I am his shadow. Disobeying an order from me is disobeying an order from him. We must show those fools what will happen to all of them if they do not surrender!" The Shadow says as it flies in for Auria again. She keeps backing up with Rufio and Pazi keeping her upright. "She's just a useless fairy. She has no place in this world anyway."

She looked to Felix desperately, knowing that running would get her caught by the Shadow, but staying means being attacked by Felix too. "You shouldn't have to follow anyone's orders! Working together means respecting each other!" She trips back and falls to the ground as the Shadow pushes Pazi and Rufio away. The knife falls from her hand, and the only thing left is the broken piece of pendant. "I promise. Fairies are supposed to help. I can help." She steels her face and pushes herself up into a sitting position.

Her hands support her as she stares at Felix with determination in her eyes. Will she die here? How painful is death by club? It can't be quick... "Do it." Felix says, looking over to the Shadow. Auria lifts her chin and closes her eyes, deciding that she'd rather face her end dead on instead of blubbering or running away.

She hears the sound of the blackened creature moving through the air, but just as it gets close to her, something happens. She opens her eyes and sees Felix's club hitting the Shadow back and across the clearing. Auria gapes for a second, but quickly stands up. She glances over Felix, before turning and running to Rufio and Pazi. "Are you two alright?" She asks, but Rufio throws his arms around her neck.

As soon as he does it, he lets go, and Auria doesn't have much time to react as the Shadow seems to recover. "Didn't do as much as I hoped." Felix drawls while looking at the Shadow with his signature bored face. Auria blinks, did he really help her?

"You will regret that." The Shadow threatens, and Pazi looks up at her and whispers.

"Don't you have any fairy magic that you can use?" Pazi asks, and she bites her lips. Just as she was about to tell him that she didn't actually have any fairy magic, he spoke again. "Like that?" Pazi points to her hand which carries the wing half, that looks oddly different.

"I've had enough of taking orders." Felix says, resting his club on his shoulder. Auria glances up and then back down at the pendant. It looks, almost like it's crumpling. Like a soft cookie, she squeezes her hand into a fist, and when she opens it the wing has turned into crumbs.

"Fine, then you will be the first to die tonight." The Shadow hisses and Auria stares at the crumbs turning into dust in her hand. Dust...fairy dust!?

The tiny grains start to glow and she looks up responds to the shadow softly. "Actually, I think it's morning." Auria holds her hand with the dust in it out, and suddenly the particles explode exponentially from her hand. It shoots up and blooms like a large, constantly growing flower in the air above them, and the glow in the dust turns orange with the sun peeking through the woods.

"What the hell?" Felix says oddly out loud. Auria doesn't control the dust, yet it moves around her like she does. The dust generally spreads out around all of them, but lots of it congregates behind her. She doesn't turn around, just stares impressively at the Shadow.

"Unless you'd like to be destroyed on the spot, I suggest you find some corner to hide." Auria says, knowing full well that she has know idea how to use the dust to defeat the Shadow, but bluffing anyway. A whistle, loud and ominous, carries to their ears in the next moment.

The Shadow straightens itself at the sound of the whistle, and turns back to us, blue eyes glowing with fury. "This is not over. Pan will hear about this development." It addressed first me, then Felix, before flying away. That left three lost boys and one fairy, standing in a clearing with very little comprehension of what to do next.

* * *

 **Okay so, I was legit debating on whether I should include a second segment of Trinity's POV in this chapter, for all you who don't know yet POV is 'point of view', but I obviously decided against it. I thought, okay I need sleep so if that part is included then this chapter won't come out tonight. However, if I don't include it then I can edit this and post it tonight.**

 **I have like a week and a half before freedom, so since things are slowing down there shouldn't be too much stopping me from getting a new chapter out quickly. Also I've gotten off of binging Supernatural for a while. I swear that show needs a circle of people going "Hello my name's Sarah and I've been addicted to Supernatural for about four months now." Etc and such.**

 **Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Was it exciting? Tell me what you think please, and have a good evening! Thanks for reading!**

 **Also, if you thought that little bit between Trinity and Peter was all I had planned, oof you are in for a big surprise!**


	25. Reunite

**Back at it again are we? So yet again I've gotten hooked on something, this game called Undertale. I might do a fanfiction on it, if I can't let it go XD. Anyway I was 'determined' to get this chapter out today.**

 **...**

 **Anyone who's played or watched a play through of the game gets that. Anywho bad jokes aside, I think this is going to be more of a chill chapter. Not that the action is over by any means, but let's just play it calm and cool. Relatively at least.**

 **You know, I freaking swear that when chapters are posted, things are changed in the text. I edit all of them and then there's this typo and it's like THAT WAS NOT THERE! I'm going to devote and entrie day in the summer to reediting every chapter...maybe.**

 **Either way, thanks for reading, and please enjoy this one as much as I did! Thanks again for all the support and the reviews I've gotten! It's so great hearing from you guys, so please tell me more! Thanks!**

* * *

Trinity's POV

My feet skid down the rocky beach line, and I try my best not to tumble and fall to the bottom. I can see the boat, along with lots of people on it, docked and waiting. The image of a clock counting down repeats itself over and over again in my mind. Every second, every minute that passes might be one too late.

I remember his face, when Regina told me that I would be staying in town. I remember her face when I brought him back to her, after he'd run away. I remember his face when he told me he wanted to find his birth mother. I remember Emma's face as she watched him struggle to believe that Regina loved him, yet having no problem believing the curse.

I remember their faces when he woke up.

As I approach the boat, three people emerge from the woods, coming towards the opposite end of the boat as I was. Everyone, at least all of Henry's family and loved ones, moves to that side of the boat. Maybe they think they have his heart? I only spare one glance to tell it's Emma, Mary Margret, and Regina.

While they are distracted and calling out to the three woman, I silently dash up the boat, and find Henry within seconds. I don't know why my chest hurts so much as I bend down right behind David, Hook, and Neal. Maybe I've just forgotten to breath. I place Henry's heart on his chest, and just barely hear the three men exclaim as they discover my presence.

Regina uses magic to poof the three of them onto the ship, and I press Henry's heart inside of him. My vision flashes red, maybe because he's not waking up, maybe because the sun is dawning. I feel a hand on my shoulder as Emma bends down next to me, and Regina on the other side of him.

I stand up, my eyes burning, and take a step back. Please Henry...

He takes in a huge breath, and suddenly everyone let's their own out. Regina and Emma pull him into a hug and I take in gulps of air, putting a hand where my own heart is.

"Woah...take it easy bud." Neal says and I finally glance around at everyone here. I'm back...huh.

"S-sorry I just," He looks around at everyone and makes eye contact with me. "I just wanted to save magic." I force a smile after finding myself reluctant. I'm overjoyed that he's okay, but with one devastation averted, a thousand more stones seem to be causing a thousand more ripples in the water.

Everyone says something to him, words like "It's alright" and "It's time to rest." I move out of the way as Regina promises to tuck him in, and leads him to the captain's quarters. My smile drops as soon as he's away in the room, but I don't predict what happens next.

While my eyes are fixed on the door, someone steps in front of me and wraps their arms around me. I jump a bit, surprised, expecting everything rather than a hug. Instead, retribution. Maybe yelling. It's my fault, but I guess they don't know the whole story yet. I drew Henry's face, all the years ago. Maybe Pan wouldn't have found him without it.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Emma says as she hugs me, and I nod slightly. If I had gotten Henry to them sooner. If I hadn't had the delusion that Pan wasn't going to hurt Henry. If I'd remembered sooner.

...If...

...If...

...If...

Emma pulls away and puts a hand on my cheek, searching my face. She moves her hand to my hair, and frowns at the sight of it. " _Are_ you okay?" Mary Margret asks and immediately I nod, but then stop, unable to fake it. After looking around at all their faces, I just shrug.

"I'm sorry." I whisper, apparently to the surprise of everyone in earshot. "I'm so sorry." I repeat, and their bewilderment hangs in the air.

"Kid." Neal starts, and looks at me very seriously. "Absolutely none of this is your fault. You understand?" He says, smiling a bit. I press my lips together. He knows, he was here when I was, ages ago. Suddenly, what I want to happen is very clear.

As much as I want everything to be okay, as much as I want for this all to be reversed, I just want to be a kid. I want to let the adults handle it. I want for it not to be on my shoulders. Opposite to what the stories say, Neverland is anything but a paradise for kids. To me, it's where I've had to grow up.

Emma surprises me by reading my mind, and proving it with the next words she says. "You did a great job Trin, looking after him. You've worried about this enough, let us take over now." She says and I break down right there. I hug her again, and she holds me as I cry into her shoulder.

David ruffles my hair, and Snow rubs my back. "I've missed you...I've missed you so much." I say and Emma makes a sound of agreement.

"I've missed you too Trin. It's okay... everything's alright now." Emma's voice reminds me of what Myrtle would do when I was upset as a kid, and I realize that that's what I imagine as a motherly action.

* * *

Auria's POV

"Uhm, could I ask what you three are staring at?" Auria tilts her head, flicking her gaze back and forth between Rufio, Pazi, and Felix. For some reason, they all just gaped at something behind her back. Auria had tried to look, but whatever it is moved with her, and all she could see was fairy dust.

"W-wings." Rufio stuttered but the word has always been something that Auria doesn't relate to, so she just blinks.

"They're pretty big.." Pazi says and Auria twists her head around to try to take a look again. Her breath is caught in her throat, yet an excited smile creeps on her face. Does she actually have wings...?

"I do not understand, where are they? All I can see is dust." Auria asks and Felix snorts.

"The fairy dust is the wings." He says blatantly. Auria tries to move them, to flap them like the other fairies do, but they feel sluggish and slow. She frowns a bit, but decides to take off in a run to get some air under her. As soon as she dashes off, though, the wings create almost a drag and she face plants.

"Ah! Auria!" Rufio exclaims and he and Pazi run to help her up.

"I am going to climb the tree. Perhaps that will work." She says with dirt sticking to her face. Felix snorts again, but when she widens her eyes at him, he regains his neutral face. Suddenly, the dust moves away from her back, causing her to yelp when it surges together at her necklace.

An idea strikes in Auria's head, and she grabs a handful of dust before it joins with the others, clutching it so that it'll stay in her hands. So they can leave, they can use the dust on the ship.

It takes a few seconds for the stray pieces to catch up, but eventually it lets off a soft glow as the wing of the necklace reattaches, and the pair lay on her neck again. Auria puffs her cheeks, wishing she had been able to fly. Upon studying the necklace for a few seconds, she sees that a portion of a wing is missing, and she guesses that's what's in her hand.

Whatever just happened, there's no reason Auria can't try it again later!

Two boys come running into the clearing then, and Auria recognizes them as Al and Ollie. "There you are! We should get to Trinity, she's at the boat." They speak together, and the three of them nod. Felix, however, frowns slightly. Auria wonders if he's going to go with them, or if he'll return to Pan.

"Hey." Rufio says to Felix softly, as the other lost boys start walking away. "Trinity's been through a lot, I would bet that she would feel better if you were with her." He says, and Felix sniffs as he grabs his club and shrugs.

"Yeah whatever." Felix drawls as he follows the three boys. Rufio waits for Auria to start walking too, and she shows him the dust in her hands. Rufio widens his eyes, but grins a bit too.

After about ten minutes of walking, they emerge the woods and Auria reaches up a hand to wave to her friends on the boat. A few tiny figures wave back, and she smiles while thinking about showing them the dust. Especially Tinker Bell, she'll be happy to know about Auria's wings.

Well...kind of wings. Truthfully, Auria isn't quite sure how to feel about it, but beggars can't be choosers.

"Auria! Are you okay?" David walks over to her as she and the others walk onto the boat. Auria nods, smiling a bit.

"Do not worry about him, he helped me." Auria says after David and Hook confront Felix. The boy doesn't even flinch at the two men, and Auria guesses they weren't very friendly to each other the last time they met. "How are things progressing?"

"Henry is back on his feet, Trinity brought his heart back, and the crocodile was freed from the box." Hook says but frowns. "We still don't have a way to get home though... We're thinking about going out to find the shadow again...are you sure you're alright, lass?" He asks after Auria grins throughout his explanation.

"Mhm. Look!" She holds out her hands and uncups them, revealing the handful of fairy dust. "This is how we will leave!" She says cheerfully. Hook chuckles and rubs his chin, calling Emma over.

"You didn't! Where did you even find it?" Tink exclaims, pushing David, who was just about to say something, over as she hugs Auria.

"It was in the pendant! You recall, the one that Blue gave me? There was a lot of it too, but I was only able to grab this much before it went back into pedant form." Auria says, pleased with herself. She'll tell Tink about her wings later, when things have calmed down. Instead, she pours half of the dust into Tink's hand.

"Uh...Auria I haven't been able to use dust in a long time." Tink states sourly, but Auria just smiles.

"Nonsense, I know you can do it, Tink." The dust glows slightly orange in Auria's hand, but doesn't react in Tink's. Still, Auria encourages Tink to try, and eventually her friend agrees.

"I guess dumping it over the sails should work, you could climb up to the crows nest." Emma says thoughtfully, and Auria nods enthusiastically. Tink rolls her eyes, yet follows Auria as she climbs up the mast anyway.

After somehow managing to climb up one handedly, Auria stares at the dazzling view of Neverland they get from being so high up. No where near the Peak's view, but a different angle with it's own fantastic glory. "You ready?" Auria asks, swinging herself into the little wooden cup. Tink does the same, but lets out a huge puff of air.

"I'm not sure Auria...in fact I'm sure I'm not sure. I can't do it!" Tinker Bell exclaims, but Auria tilts her head slightly with a small smile on her face. "What?"

She takes a deep breath, and looks down at how far they are from the ground, then let's out a small squeal. "Tink, I promise I have something spectacular to tell you, but right now we all need you to believe in yourself. Think about it, without you- I would've never found Rufio again."

"You mean you would've never been stuck in a time-stopping maze, if not for me." Tink rebuttals.

"Oh please, I'm out of it now aren't I?" Auria smiles as she says it, trying her best to blow it off. Truthfully she is scared that she'll wake up, and be back in the maze again. Walking around, never being able to find Rufio. Still, it wasn't Tink's fault. "That has always been my fault. Besides, you have so much potential. You really helped us earlier, and you can help everyone again. I know it is not easy to believe in yourself sometimes, but right now I believe in you. It is truly great, you should try it again."

Tink rolls her eyes, but the dust in her hand starts to glow slightly green. "I-.." Tink stutters in surprise, but then smirks a bit. "Thank you, Auria. I _can_ do it. You ready?" she asks and Auria nods. Together, after counting to three, they flick their dust filled hands over the sails.

Gasps sound from below them, and Auria can only imagine that it look like magic is raining down from the sky. Auria stares at her shower of amber-orange, before turning to look at Tink's green sparkles. "Hold on!" Tink says and grabs Auria's arm as the ship starts to float.

They dive to the bottom of the crow's nest, holding onto each other. Tink seems worried, but Auria giggles and peaks over the edge. Just barely, as the ship starts getting higher and higher, Auria spots a group of people close to the shore. After a few moments, she recognizes them as the natives and throws up a hand to wave.

She tries to be as noticeable as possible, and eventually the woman Auria guesses is Lily waves back. "Bye!" Auria shouts out, and Tink rolls her eyes.

"I don't get you." Tink huffs, sulking a bit. For a second Auria doesn't understand, but then realizes that it must be because of the way Lily turned on Tink. Auria opens her mouth to try and comfort her, but for once doesn't have much to say. Instead she bites her lip, and slides down the edge of the crow's nest, sitting next to Tink. "Spill it." Tinker Bell says grudgingly.

"Huh?" Auria asks innocently.

"You've practically been floating since you got back, what's up?"

"Oh.." Auria smiles and fingers her pendant. "Well...alright...when the dust came out of my pendant, it kind of...floated around me. Then it all...sort of converged behind me, and suddenly there was wings! Made of the dust!" Tinker Bell raises her eyebrows, and shakes her head.

"Wings!? Out of dust? Are you sure?" Tink asks and Auria deflates a bit, her smile sinking at Tink's dubious face. Still, Auria nods and rubs her pendant some more. A few seconds of silence tick by, and she hears Tink sigh. "If you're sure. Honestly I can't really find the nerve to doubt you anymore. What did they look like?" Tink asks with a smirk, and Auria smiles again.

A few minutes later, after Auria has described the wings she saw in detail, the two start climbing down. By now they're in the clouds, and Hook, David, and Trinity are rushing to keep the ship under control. Once she's close enough to the ground, Auria drops down, right next to Felix.

She sees him jump a bit at her sudden appearance, but plays it off by leaning against the post. "Hello." Auria says, and Felix waits a few seconds before grunting to acknowledge her. She smiles a bit, watching as Tink jumps down and waves.

"Oi, since when are you being so cooperative?" Tink asks, elbowing Felix a bit. He rolls his eyes and she snickers. Auria wanders away to find Rufio, but Trinity runs into her as she's rushing to help with something. After a quick apology, they both keep moving, but Auria turns to see Hook instructing her on how to work ropes on the side of the boat. Auria watches curiously as David approaches her.

"Hey, good job with the dust." David says to her, pausing for a bit. "You really saved us." He grins and she nods.

"It is what I live for. But...should Trinity be working right now? She looks...exhausted." Auria notes and David frowns, crossing his arms.

"She insisted. She said that everyone is exhausted, and that she doesn't want to sit still." He sighs, glancing over at Emma who is also watching and stealing looks at Trinity while discussing something with Regina. "Emma...we're all worried about her. What with the whole spell she was supposed to be under."

"Just _drop it_!" Trinity's voice rings out over the ship, and Auria snaps her gaze back to see the girl turned on Hook. The pirate looks panicked, while Trinity whips around again to finish with the ropes.

Emma, Pazi, and Felix all move at once, with the desire to talk to her as Auria guesses, but Trinity stares at the ground while quickly moving into an important looking room on the deck. David squeezes Auria shoulder before striding over to talk to Hook. Without much else to do, Auria turns and spots Rufio among the other lost boys.

She wants to help and understand more with what is bothering Trinity, but Auria can imagine having the whole ship gossiping about what's happened to her might be part of the problem. Instead, Auria will let it go for now, assuming that a little privacy might be just what the girl needs.

She walks over and sits down next to her brother, studying his sullen face. "Hey, smart guy." She says softly, and Rufio snorts while rolling his eyes. "Holding up okay?" she asks, and he sniffs. Auria looks up at the sky, predicting that he'll just ignore her again, but this time is different.

Even though he doesn't say a word, his head hits her shoulder and rests there. She looks and smiles gently, watching his eyes close and his breathing slow. The ship rocks gently, and Auria wonders what she'll do next.

* * *

Peter's POV

"They're leaving." His shadow's silky voice alerts him from his rest in the treehouse. He was sitting on the floor against the bed, with his head laying back on it, but now he stands up. "If we don't stop them, we should at least follow them." His shadow insists, but Peter holds up a hand.

"It's fine. Let them relax a little." Peter says darkly, and the shadow narrows it's glowing eyes. "I'll be able to find her anyway, no matter where she is. We'll just have to start over, since we won't be able to keep this island for much longer."

"As you wish." The Shadow responds, and Peter grins slightly as he creates a ball of leaf green fire in his right hand. He drops it as he leaves the treehouse, not looking back as it spreads quickly.

He won't mess up this time. Oh no, this time he's determined to get everything he wants. The next place to go up in flame will be Storybrooke, and from the ashes he will build a better kingdom.

"We don't need this place anymore." He says and glowered at the tiny ship on the horizon.

* * *

 **So, my two options were ending this on a good note or ending it on a bad note. Maybe this wasn't a bad note but- oh who am I kidding Peter's gone a little crazy. Still, I will always vouch that evil characters can come back from their deeds. Except Rumpelstiltskin. Especially in these later seasons I hope he gets stabbed in the back just like he deserves. (Personal feelings aside) I really hope you guys enjoyed this one. That little bit at the end was just a little hint, but it's not really different from the show.**

 **Not yet at least. On that note, have a good evening everyone!**


	26. Ship

**This is chapter 26...what? Wow...well dang. Okay so, this chapter is gonna be essentially Trinity oriented. I promise, super promise, that they will get back to Storybrooke next chapter. I'm hella excited for that, but patience is key when it comes to these things.**

 **Anyway, I'm going to be changing the cover and maybe the description for this story sometime soon. You see, it just doesn't really say anything about Auria or others. Maybe I won't change the description that much but the cover...definitely.**

 **I don't think Ellen Page is really how I picture Trinity anymore. Besides I've got something cool up my sleeve. Anyway, Thanks so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews! Each one inspires me to do more, and they make me really happy. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Also, just because I haven't done this in a while, SUPER DISCLAIMER IF I OWNED OUAT YOU WOULD KNOW.**

* * *

 _Trinity's POV ~Past~ (Which one? ...You're smart.)_

 _He sat down in the window seat on the bus, "So, how'd you spot me out in the first place?" The little boy, apparently Henry, asked me with a little sulk in his tone. "I mean I thought I looked pretty normal." He proclaimed and I snorted a bit. He frowned, and immediately I gave him an 'are you kidding me?' look._

 _"Listen short stack, kids your age don't trot around a town by themselves like it's on their bucket list. I was taking a break and saw you with all of your suspicious glory. I just hope you're giving me the right address 'cause if you aren't..." I turned to glare at him and he put his hands up defensively._

 _"On my honor." He said mock-seriously and I raised an eyebrow. I was pretty sure this kid hated my guts right then._

 _"You read much?" He nodded and I chuckled. Figured. "Well anyways, as much as I understand wanting to get away from home, I don't get why you're so calm about this? Most kids you're age would be panicking." I noted and he stuck his tongue out at me._

 _"Yeah, yeah." He muttered and stuck his hands in his jacket pocket. "If you get bored you can let me go, you know. You're oddly proactive for a random person I don't know." He said as if he was annoyed. Yep, The vocabulary is strong in this one. I rolled my eyes and stuck my hand under my chin sweetly._

 _"Oh I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart." I played at the most syrupy voice I could muster. "Not. Well maybe a little, but mostly I'm hoping your mom'll give me a little something for helping out? A job maybe, at least for a week or two."_

 _"Why would she give you a job?" He asked and I smirked._

 _"You already said she's the mayor right?" I responded and he sulked again, dropping the conversation and staring out the window. "Why'd you leave anyway?" I asked, gentle this time. He doesn't say anything for a while, so I sighed and turned away, but kept glancing at him to make sure he didn't jump out the window or something._

 _Finally, I'm not even sure if he said it to me or himself, he uttered softly. "50% bored, 50% mom, 20% premature angst." He looked at me and stuck his tongue out again at my confused face. "Always give it 120%." I chuckled a bit, but thought about what he said._

 _"You know what Henry?" I said softly, but he didn't look over. I'd run away once too, that's what got me into the accident, but for some reason Neil never suggested taking me back. I'm pretty young too, but it's odd how I was never pushed home. Maybe if I had been...then I wouldn't be here not knowing where I'm gonna sleep tonight. "...you've got guts. I'll give you that."_

* * *

~Present~

I sit at the foot of Henry's bed, on the floor, with my head leaning back onto the mattress and blankets. He's sleeping, and I smile at the fact that he's able to relax. The memory of when I first met him surfaces, and I resist a bitter laugh at how naïve I was then. About the world, about myself, about him.

Naïve. If I wasn't so naïve. I wasn't there for him when he needed me...maybe he wouldn't have gotten tricked by Pan if I'd been able to stop it. I feel like gravity is constantly being turned on and off, all the sure footing that my heart stands on being ripped away with the push of a lab button.

The door to the quarter's open and I see Mr. Gold in the doorway. He gestures for me to come out and I nod and stand up quietly, so Henry won't wake up. Mr. Gold shuts the door when I'm out and I blink in the harsh sunlight, hoping my eyes adjust soon. "Do you need something?" I ask and he nods.

"When we were looking for you, we heard that Pan used magic on you, like a spell. May I check to make sure all of it is gone?" He asks gently and I nod. My insides still feel sore, but I'd assumed I had broken the spell somehow. I guess everyone else had too, when I showed up with Henry's heart. Mr. Gold waves his hand, and his magic washes over me.

I take in a sudden breath when suddenly the sore feeling inside me is reduced. As if I'd been caught in a broken net, the magic he used released me from it. "Thanks." I say and he nods. "Oh uhm...also." I start before he turns to leave. "I drank the water on Neverland from Dead Man's Peak, and I think it caused me to remember everything. I don't want to forget is the thing so.." The poor little vial. Just because the water's effect had been slow working, it was shattered into bits against the wall.

Mr. Gold sighs, but agrees anyway. "You seem to be doing well with your memories, all things considered." He says and I raise an eyebrow. He casts the spell and I shrug, smirking only slightly. It's not like I've had much freetime to reminisce. Being under the spell, it was almost like background noise in a full out, death metal concert.

"Fake it 'till you make it." I wink and he chuckles softly. After considering going back inside, I turn and spot the lost boys by the edge of the ship. Pazi, Rufio, Auria, and the twins are sitting together a distance away from the other lost boys. I smile, seeing Rufio sleeping on Auria's shoulder.

I walk over to them and pass by each lost boy on my way to them. Hair stands up on the back of my neck as I can almost feel it when they each look up at me passing by them, no doubt reminding them of Pan. I turn to my band when I reach them, and bend down to my knees. "Hey, is everyone doing okay?" I ask with a small smile, whispering so I don't wake Rufio.

"Rufio's showing affection, I think he might be sick." Al whispers not so softly to me and Rufio responds by smacking him in the arm. "Ouch."

"Say it again, I dare you." Rufio mumbles and I catch Auria's happy expression. We share a quiet laugh, silently agreeing at how cute Rufio is when he relaxes. Auria stands up, telling us that she's going to go help with passing out food. Rufio watches her go, frowning a bit, but closing his eyes once she's gone.

"I'm tired, we haven't run that long in ages." Ollie says and Al nods in agreement.

"Geeze, not even Pan pushed us that much." Al responds and I muss up both of their hairs simultaneously.

"I'm going to have to make up for that later, huh?" I ask and they nod. I turn my gaze to Pazi, who's been uncharacteristically quiet. "Pazi...how are you doing?" I press lightly and he looks at me with a frown. Even when's he's upset, he normally says what's wrong loud and clear, he's not the type to keep many things to himself.

"I ain't the only one who's worried about leaving, am I?" He asks and I tilt my head, giving him a questioning look. "I mean, we've been Lost boys for so long...and now we're just leaving. It feels strange." The others' attitudes fall a bit and Rufio open's his eyes.

I take a deep breath, knowing that I have to say something for them. I shift into a sitting position and press my lips together as I think about it. "It's definitely a change, huh? For me, I think..." I trail off, my mind wondering to things I don't want to think about. With a small jolt I come back to my senses. "Well I've adjusted so much that I'm fine, but you have all been on Neverland for so long that this must be difficult."

I push back a few locks of Pazi's curly hair. "I don't think my family is waiting for me." He says and I feel a pang in my chest for him. "Not after so much time, right? I can't...I hardly remember what my mom looked like." His eyes glisten and when I open my arms up he immediately jumps into a hug.

Al and Ollie join in, and even though Rufio was never much for group hugs he still takes my hand when I offer it. "I have a secret to tell you four." I say with a smile, and they all seem to perk up a bit. "It's a special secret, because sharing it with as many people as possible is better than keeping it to yourself."

"So then it's not a secret?" Ollie says causing Al to tug on a bit of his brother's hair.

"Nah, do you know it yet?"

"No."

"Then it's a secret from you."

Pazi and Rufio shush them and I raise an eyebrow at them slyly. "Your family is always out there waiting for you, but who they are is sometimes a mystery. All you have to do to find them is keep an open mind, and take hands with someone who reaches out to you. Got it? The secret is that anyone can be family, but only a special few in the world will be ours. Those most important to you are already yours." I finish and see Pazi's face brighten.

Auria comes back with some bowls of soup and bread, and Al, Ollie, and Rufio move to get some while Pazi stays by me for a second. "So my family is waiting, I just have to find where they are?" He concludes and I give him an approving look.

"You've always been a smart boy." I whisper in his ear and stand up again. "I'll be over there if you need me." Pazi nods as I point to the other side of the ship. I walk over and see Hook leaning against a mast. I scratch the back of my head before releasing a sigh upon realizing I should apologize. "Hey..." It feels awkward when I reach him, but he gives a small wave.

"How can I help?" He asks with a small grin and I look around, not meeting his eyes.

"I'm sorry about earlier-" He holds up a hand to stop me.

"Don't even bother, I pushed too much. I reckon it was a dumb idea from the start to ask you anything about _him_. Much less whether he breathes or not." Hook says and I stiffen again, but push it out of mind as quickly as it came. After a stiff nod my mouth opens to ask if there's anything more to help with, yet someone else beats me.

"You're probably just lucky you didn't burst into flames." Crimson appears beside me and Hook falls off his mast, crashing into Emma who was probably coming over to talk too. I turn and stare at Crimson and look back and forth from her and the two scrambling adults with just my eyes, while making a bunch of 'ah' and 'oh' noises. "Well I guess this counts in a figurative way but.."

"Crim!" I whisper to her and make a cutting motion across my neck. "You can't...they don't...it's not..." Maybe I panic a bit because when Hook and Emma get back up they look like they're in fighting mode. "Ah, wait! She's friendly!" Emma stops mid sword stance and Hook doesn't release the big breath he took in to call for the others.

We stand there for a few seconds, Crim laughing like she just crashed a slumber party and the girls pulled out an Ouija board. "Trin...?" Emma says and I make a few motions with my hands. Breathe in...and out. Crim keeps laughing even when Hook and Emma relax, then a bigger crowd starts to grow.

"It's alright...she's my friend. She's like...actually I'm not really quite sure what she is." I ramble nervously and David and Mary Margret walk over with awed, but not freaked out, faces. I suppose they're used to things like this? Regina doesn't make any emotion except furrow her eyebrows before shrugging and walking away.

"I too was confused when I first saw her, but she is not hostile." Auria calls casually from across the ship. Neal just waves to Crim and she happily waves back. It takes a minute but I explain to them that she came with Myrtle and Luna when I was little. I also talk about the magic she's been teaching me, and make a small flame in my hand.

It's weird, 'cause for the longest time I had wished that there would be something about me to discuss. Some magical factor, about how I would be in the book somewhere with everyone else. Now, all the attention makes me very nervous.

We decide to discuss it later, and Mary Margret takes the opportunity to steal a hug before everyone drifts away again. Eventually everyone's gone except Emma, who smiles and puts an arm around me. "You get a friendly ghost, I get Regina. Not fair." she whispers to me and I laugh for a few seconds, turning to say something to Crim, but she's gone.

"She does that sometimes." I say and Emma removes her arm, but then puts both hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eyes.

"How are you really doing?" She asks, her words causing my chest to burn. I can't lie to her...but...what can I say? I want to run away, I want to say it's fine and keep going.

It's not. I'm not okay. My world is a broken hourglass, the sand spilling everywhere. Thousands of different colors of sand mix, and sorting them is taking all my strength.

"I just...I want to talk to you about it." I tell her. "Not here, though. I need a little time to pick up the pieces." She nods and thinks for a second as she lets go of my shoulder. Her expression changes as she dons a smirk.

"Just one question...how old are you?" She asks and I laugh.

"Living on Neverland doesn't really count as growing up...aside from that there's several other things. Physically I'm almost seventeen. Mentally...like I said Neverland doesn't really count...but counting that is almost twenty-seven. For a while I was..." I pause, thinking about the lab coats, the ice, the pokes and prods. "a popsicle, really." I laugh it off, but Emma eyes widen.

"What does that mean?" She asks and I shake a finger.

"Nuh-uh ma'am, only one question." I tease and she rolls her eyes. After finding a spot on the upper deck I sit down and pull my knees up to my chest. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure." I answer quietly and she nods. Then, she whips out a pair of scissors from her back pocket.

"If you want, we can get a temporary fix...you know until we can get you to a professional." She says and I nod, moving over so she can bend down and cut away. After she finishes, I feel around at it and we laugh about how awkward the cuts are. "Like I said, temporary."

She sits next to me, and we talk about random things that have absolutely nothing to do with Neverland. Eventually we stop talking, and I feel my eyelids grow heavy. All of the exhaustion from the events of the past few days hits me. I slump down a bit, and Emma moves so that I'm resting against her.

Someone walks up, but Emma shushes them. Before long, I'm sleeping a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **Heya! Well, it feels like a shorter chapter, but based on the word count it's about average. Maybe it's just 'cause it's all in Trinity's POV. You gotta tell me, what'd you think of the interactions of Emma and Trinity? Ah, writing those parts makes me so happy! When Emma first came to town, lemme tell you that Trinity thought she was the best thing since sliced bread. We'll address that later. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and have a good day!**


	27. Rest

**SOOOOOMMMEWHEEEEERE over the RRAi- Oh...didn't see you there. Geeze...oh lord my computer stinks cause a stink bug got into the little fan or whatever and I got it out but wow. GrOdY.**

 **Honest talk here, I have been plotting so much for this roleplay XD. I can't wait until after the whole storybrook plot before the second part of Season three. Another thing is that I have no idea how long it actually took for them to fly back on the ship in the show, but in this fanfic it's like an hour or so.**

 **You know, for so long I've shipped Hook and Emma...but with the power of possibility in my hands...I'm starting to ship Emma and Neal again. THIS IS NOT OKAY. I DUNNO WHAT TO DO. 'Cause CaptainSwan is like my second otp but geeze Emma and Neal would be so cute toooooo.**

 **Send help.**

 **Life alert, I'm going down with both ships and can't tell which one to repair. On a different note where the hell is Snow's apartment cause I've completely forgotten but you know who cares. Screw it, I say, I'll just do it my way. (Firelily rhymes)**

* * *

Auria's POV

Auria hands Trinity the bowl, and then takes one for herself. She'd seen the girl sleeping for an hour, but once her mother had moved, she got up to eat something. After a moment of hesitation, Trinity grabs another bowl and points to Felix. Auria shakes her head to indicate that he hadn't eaten and they both stride over to him at the opposite side of the deck that the lost boys are on.

"Eat something." Trinity orders as she holds the bowl of food in front of him. He glares at her, and she glares back. After a moment he takes the food and starts eating it. Auria thinks to herself that these two must have been close on the island. At least, whoever can convince that boy to eat with two words must have some trick up their sleeves.

They eat in silence for a while, and Auria enjoys the image in her head of eating with friends. "Trinity, did your mother fix your hair?" Auria asks and Trinity's cheeks go bright red. She tilts her head, wondering if it was something she said.

"Oh uh...Emma did...she's not...we're not actually related." Trinity stammers and takes a big bite of the bread. Auria smiles, but glances at how Felix scowls a bit. At least it is some emotion on his face. Trinity must imagine Emma as a mother figure, but Auria doesn't really know much about her.

"What was wrong with it?" Felix asks and Trinity glances at him.

"I had to cut it 'cause the Shadow was holding me in the air by it." Trinity says simply and shrugs. Felix takes an almost angry bite of bed, parallel to what Trinity did. Auria knows it's a serious topic, but she covers her mouth to hide a chuckle anyway. Felix looks at her sharply.

"Don't you have a fairy friend to hang around?" He drawls and Auria puffs a cheek. Does he really not like her?

"Why would she when she can be so pleasured by your company Felix?" Trinity jokes, but even though they share a laugh while Felix rolls his eyes, Auria can hear a lack of enthusiasm in Trinity's voice.

They eat a little bit more in silence, Felix occasionally flicking his eyes to Auria. Eventually, Trinity sets down her bowl having eaten only half of the food, and pushed around the rest, making the plate seem more empty. "I'm full," She says but Felix snorts. Trinity shoots him a look and he returns it right back.

Auria watches while taking mental notes on the situation, reminding herself that Trinity probably isn't feeling much like herself at the moment. "Like hell you're full. When was the last time you ate anyway?" Felix says and holds her bowl back up to her. "Stop trying to pretend you're okay. If you don't want to eat, fine. Be honest about it. At least don't go around talking to everyone likes it's your job to fix everyone's damn problems. Auria already does that." Felix says, surprising both girls. Auria notes how he's much more observant than he seems.

Maybe he cares about everything a lot more than he tries to put off. "You know, for once he's right." A new voice says and Auria recognizes it as the man Neal that they rescued from that cave. The man puts a hand on Trinity's head and the girl stares at the ground. "You don't have to force yourself. Everyone knows what it's like to go through something difficult. We're your family, Trin." He says and Auria feels something pang in her stomach.

Trinity surprises the man by hugging him. "You're a jerk." She says and he laughs. "It's good to see you, you know, not dead. Especially now that I remember that I'm older than you." She says, donning a joking demeanor again. He scoffs and Auria blinks, watching the scene with a strange feeling.

Maybe she's just missing her family. Rufio is back, and Auria can't wait to finally take him home to Ani and Elizabeth and Arnold. She steals a peek at the lost boys only to suck in a huge breath as Rufio pulls Al up from over the edge of the ship. Her brother proceeds to scold the younger boy who just ignores him and laughs loudly.

It's been so long, Auria wonders how old Elizabeth and Arnold have gotten. Ani might even have her own kid now. Auria sighs, putting a her fingers over her pendant while she imagines their faces after so long. Yes, after this her journey should be finally over.

As if on queue, the ship breaks through the clouds and below them is the town Auria assumes is Storybrooke. She is definitely ready for a long rest.

* * *

Felix's POV

He didn't exactly know what to do when they landed and he was pushed away from Trin. She and Henry were told to walk off the ship first, since the town had been waiting to see them. Felix was bemused when Trinity blushed from embarrassment, but Emma wouldn't let her convince herself that it was no big deal.

Felix was only a bit grouchy when everyone took a turn hugging her and the boy. After all, it wasn't like they were really kidnapping her. They were only bringing her home, to the first place that accepted her. These people were second.

Eventually the hugging and reuniting of everyone that this group hauled from Neverland, including that little girl and her brother who gave him particularly nasty looks, was over. Somehow he was dragged along with the group through the strange town by Pazi, who seemed to think that they were friends.

"Do you have a death wish?" Felix demands as Pazi points to the diner that Trinity and her family went into.

"Says the one who's been moping because Trinity's not paying attention to you." The boy says spitefully and Felix wonders how Trinity puts up with the brat. Suddenly, a familiar feeling washes over him, and he turns to look around. Pazi pulls on his sleeve and starts rambling about how he hopes the store will give them free food since they don't have money, and Felix only barely reflects on how the kid even knows how a store works here while he searches for the Shadow.

"Huh." He grumbles and pulls his arm up in a sudden movement to dislodge the annoyance from it, but the kid hangs on. Felix gives a disgusted look, beginning to move his arm around more to shake the thing off. Pazi laughs as if he's enjoying himself, and Felix gives up, holding his arm up and waiting for the child to eventually lose interest.

A laugh from the diner in front of him makes him look up, and Trinity holds up a strange device in her hands. Felix knows what a lot of things in the modern world are because of his trips to find the truest believer, but still some things confuse him. Felix sighs as he walks over to her, the boy still hanging from his arm.

"Take it." He says when he reaches her and with just a look from the girl, Pazi jumps off his arm and runs into the diner. Trin sighs, and Felix watches her carefully. He knows that she's hurting a lot, yet is too stubborn to let others worry. "You look cheerful." He drawls and she holds up the device in her hands.

"Granny got it for me while I was in Neverland. She said she rememebered how much I always mentioned wanting to try photography, and that it was a nice surprise to have when they brought us back." She says and shows him a few images on a screen of the device. The pictures show him as he tried to get the boy off, and Felix scrunches his nose at it.

She giggles as he takes interest in the strange thing, and she tells him it's called a camera. "You know, I wanted to ask how you were feeling." She says, and Felix raises his eyebrows. "Coming here...having to leave Neverland. Having to leave Pan. I know how difficult it is."

"What, you want to have a therapy session?" He asks with a snarky tone. He smirks, shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning over Trinity a bit. "You think you're the only one allowed to cover up how they feel? Don't you get bored pretending you care so much? It's obvious how much you want to forget all about me and the rest of Neverland. Everything would've been better if you and the boy had never been taken, huh?" He says and she widens her eyes.

Slowly, he straightens himself again, still smirking almost viciously at her shocked expression. Everything about the situation he's in is just pissing him off. With nothing else to say he turns and walks away, not exactly sure where he's going. "Felix!" Trin calls and he turns to see something flying towards him.

He catches a single key, and looks at it with confusion. He can only assume that someone like the Granny person must've given this to her as well, since he's pretty sure she didn't have it through Neverland. "It's the key to my apartment. There's enough room so, if you want to stay there...it's the top floor of this apartment building close to the clocktower." She says and he sniffs.

"Whatever." He says, but pockets the keys anyway. He heads toward the docks, feeling surprised as he hopes with what little faith he has left that what he felt earlier was only a fluke. He hates this place, but he's beginning to hate that Shadow even more.

* * *

Peter's POV

He lands on a dock, looking around the cold and boring town that, in his mind, only had room for improvement. His Shadow floats beside him and chuckles at how unsuspecting everything is. He knows what he's going to do, but now he just has to get the ingredients to do it.

After coming so far and having everything torn down in front of him, he's going to conquer and rebuild. "Where should we go first?"

"The woman Regina has a vault...it houses the spell you need...as well as most of the ingredients." His shadow tells him and Peter nods, imagining this place under his rule. "The one thing you still need is the heart of what you love most." Peter frowns for a millisecond, before making up his mind and returning his smirk.

"I know what I have to do, and so be it." Peter says, his own words sending shivers down his spine. He starts walking into the woods, knowing that something needs to be done to get the old lady to open up her vault. "My magic isn't strong enough, we can't break in so something must be done for her to open it." Peter says outloud.

"Kill two birds with one stone. Have me attack the truest believer and drag him near the vault. She will take refuge in it, and from there I will slip in and take the scroll and ingredients. Meanwhile, your girl will come running to save the little prince. You can take what you need then." The Shadow plots, and Peter waves his hand.

"We should wait." Peter says calmly, leaning against a tree. "If we move now, they will be ready for us. We must wait until their guard is down." The Shadow makes a noise of an impatient growl, and he snorts. "Mess with the Lost boys if you're bored, for now we should rest and replenish our strength as well." An eyebrow raises at the thought of carrying out his plan when the town has tuned itself to think he is no longer a threat.

Oh what fun.

* * *

Trinity's POV ~Lil bit o' time has passed~

I groan, rolling over in the bed after I punch the alarm clock button, only to find that Auria is just now climbing in. Since she doesn't have a place to stay, she and Rufio spent the first night back with me. We let Rufio take the twin bed in the smallest room, meanwhile Felix was crashed on the couch when I got home.

I spent a while at Granny's, catching up with everyone and relaxing just a bit. I tried to brush off what Felix said to me before he left, but eventually I couldn't sit still anymore. Auria noticed how antsy I was and asked me to help her with locating her and Rufio's family. Even though I happily agreed, Emma made me promise to call her at 9 to say that I was going to bed.

Her built in lying detector knew that I was still looking through town records with Auria and Rufio at the library when I called. Henry spent the night at Regina's, well guarded by the dwarves taking shifts incase Pan decides to make another entrance. I could tell that Regina was wanting to ask me things about it, but I acted like I'd forgotten who he was.

I wish I could forget.

"Auria...please tell me you're not _just_ getting some sleep?" I ask her groggily, and she smiles lightly. Despite my insisting that she get some sleep too, she swore last night she would sleep for a day after checking for five more minutes. To be honest, I was probably too tired myself to realize that of course she wouldn't stop then.

"Of course not..." She answers, but a voice from the kitchen makes us both turn.

"She's lying! She just got back." Felix calls and Auria weakly sticks her tongue out at him before falling into the bed. I give her a look and her grumbled voice is muffled by a pillow.

"Blue came and spoke to me after you were gone. That fairy would not let her lecture be a second under two hours long. By the time she ended, I went to finish the stack but fell asleep at the table." Auria explains and I push myself out of the bed and stretch.

"Well, it's all yours now." I stumble into the kitchen to find Felix staring at the empty stock of food. I walk over and nudge him with my shoulder before spotting something on the table beside the couch. Laying on the base of a lamp is a little trinket, a claw with feathers on strings tied to it. "You still have this." I comment gently as I walk over to it.

"Yup." He answers and joins me as I admire it. He picks it up and uses the claw to tie it on the side of his head. "Do you have anything edible in this place?" He asks and I snort. I look through my almost vacant pantry, before pulling out a box of mac n' cheese. I shake it lightly and look at the expiration date.

"Uhm...this is still good. If you want you can eat it, otherwise I'm gonna go get something from Granny's a little bit later." I say and toss him the box. He squints at it and I laugh. "Tell ya what, come with me to the store later and we can get things for everyone there." Felix shrugs, but starts trying to figure out how to make the mac n' cheese.

"Can I come?" Rufio asks, rubbing his eyes as he walks in. I tell him he can before going back to the room with my closet, grabbing a random combination of clothes for an outfit. I yell at Felix not to go near the bathroom before hopping in for a shower. Once I'm done I dry my shorter hair and get dressed, throwing the clothes I slept in into the same hamper with my Neverland attire.

"Auria, do you wanna take a shower? My clothes should fit you, so wear whatever you want." I tell her as I walk out of the bathroom and she gives me a thumbs up from her sleeping position. "I'll be back later to help with finding your parents." I head for the door and muss up Rufio's hair as I go. "Don't burn this place to the ground, Felix."

Once I'm outside, I zip up my jacket while walking on the sidewalk, only to be barreled into by something. Or someone.

* * *

Henry's POV

Mom only called after me once before she realized I was running to Trinity. She freaks when I hug her though, letting out a small scream. I take a small step back, observing as she puts a hand over her chest and takes deep breaths. Mom comes up behind me, but Trinity recovers fast.

"You scared me!" She exclaims and flicks me lightly on the forehead before hugging me. I smile and see as she shakes it off and talks to mom, but she must still be jumpy from Neverland. We haven't talked much about it, maybe I should ask her about it. I know I'm still shaken up by it, yet it's kinda cool to have gone on an adventure.

Almost dying, not cool. Adventure, pretty neat. "Good morning, Regina." Trin says and for a second it reminds me of before mom, Emma, came and mom, Regina, had to insist that Trinity not call her 'Ms. Mills.'

"Good morning, how are you feeling?" Mom asks and Trinity smiles.

"I'm great, you know me!" She responds and pretend punches the air. Mom smiles and nods, and the three of us walk and talk for a while. "I was actually coming to find you. We've been looking for Auria and Rufio's parents, not to mention the rest of the lost boys too. There hasn't been much luck, so I was wondering if we could look in Madam Mayor's files?" She asks and mom smiles.

"Come by later, and we'll take care of it." Mom says and I grin, happy with how everything is okay now. It's peaceful, and even though there's some conflict with Emma and her love triangle, as Trin explained to me, everyone's working through things. Maybe for once we've got some time to relax, you know, once the moms and everyone else decides I don't need to be watched twenty-four seven.

* * *

 **Welp. That's that I suppose. A nice...chill chapter. Everything's okay. Everything is cool. I don't know what you're suspicious about. It's not like I've got some major plot twist up my sleeve or anything.. I've been working on this for too long today, even though once I finish editing I'll probably start working on the next chapter. *sigh* Well, this is my favorite way to spend time anyway XD. Thanks for reading and have a good day!**


	28. Wildfire

**I'm excited! I hope you guys didn't get too comfortable last time! Just an FYI thing for now at least, I am frickin tired of typing out 'Mary Margret.' Therefore, even if the show had it so that most called her Mary Margret and such, from now on it is 'Snow'**

 **Unless...I dunno dramatic purposes. For now, let's just go with Snow. Thank you guys so much for all the support, and I hope you enjoy this one! I'll let it speak for itself.**

* * *

Peter's POV

He leans back in the tree, invisible to the dumb town that hasn't yet learned to look up. The sun contrasts with the shadows in the forest, making him wonder how long it'll be the light chasing the dark. Today is his day, after a week of waiting for them to relax. The boy has no guard around him now, and the only thing to wait for is him and his mother to be alone again.

"Felix! Please wait and listen!" A girl's voice call's out from nearby below him. Peter looks down and almost falls out of his tree as he sees Felix walking away from the fairy girl. "Please?" Peter wonders what his old friend is doing walking around at such a slow pace compared to how fast he's capable of moving in the woods.

Felix snorts as he slows his pace, looking around. He frowns slightly, it's not like Felix has changed in such a short time. It's definitely still the lost boy that Peter knew for so long. So that begs the question as to why he's even entertaining the idea of this girl.

"Don't you know what 'go away' means?" Felix drawls, yet stops and leans against the tree that Peter is up high on. "Go on, then, 'sweetheart.'" Even though he says it as an ironic tease, Peter recoils when he hears 'sweetheart.' The fairy stops to huff for breath while Felix prompts her, tilting her head up to give him a look at 'sweetheart.' In one fluid motion, she straightens herself and holds her arm out.

Felix takes something from her hand, but Peter can't see it from his height. "I am so sorry, but Rufio did not mean to break it. I fixed it, but trust me that he...he's just upset about our parents. Not being able to find them.." The fairy pauses for a moment before continuing. "I just hope you are not angry."

Peter watches with a wrinkled nose as Felix moves to put the object on the side of his head. "Nice fix, thanks." His calm response casts confusion over the fairy, who stammers a bit. She questions about why he was angry at the apartment and stormed out. "You added beads.." Felix comments, cutting her off.

"I don't get it..." She says and Felix snorts.

"You're not giving yourself enough credit, I think you do understand." He drawls, but with a more friendly tone to his voice than he's had in a long time. Peter frowns again, shifting himself on the tree. He's asked Felix before about whether he was happy or not on Neverland, but his answer was always yes.

So why...now...does just this small conversation portray him as so much different. Different, in a way that Peter hates to admit, is probably much better for him than Neverland ever was. "You said something about...wondering if Peter and that Shadow creature would come. You came here to check? Why would you not just say so to us?" The fairy asks and Peter pulls back from looking as Felix scouts up and around.

He should be camouflaged enough, at least in this part of the tree. "I didn't want Trinity to worry. She might just have a panic attack if I mention Peter is here." Peter's heart stops for several seconds from Felix's answer, his mind tunneling into thinking of what his plan calls for.

A wave of nausea passes through him, starting at the center of his head and seemingly moving out. In a moment, he's defiant and refusing. He can't hurt Trinity. He doesn't want to drag Felix down. He wants so badly to be rid of the darkness that consumes everything inside of him.

It's happened before, more often in this town than ever in Neverland. He knows what he has to do, and even though it might be pushed very far back, determination as fierce as his leave skid marks. He just has to follow them when the time is right.

Then something cold and light touches his shoulder, abe in an instant the weight of it drags him back down and out of his moment of weakness. "The boy and mother are together at their house, now is the time to begin." His Shadow whispers into his ear, floating over his shoulder.

Peter nods, but then remembers the visitors. He looks down and sees Felix staring coldly up at the Shadow, with one arm in front of the fairy. Felix makes eye contact with Peter and in that moment they both know that their timeless friendship and loyalty dissolves. They're on two different sides now, and Peter doesn't mind one bit.

"We can't let them get away to warn anyone..." Peter notes to the Shadow. Felix and the fairy start sprinting away, but Peter just calmly descends the tree. "but we need Trinity here...I'm sure one of them has something to communicate with on them. Go stop them, I'll knock them out." He waves his hand and green magic wraps itself around his right arm and hand like a long glove.

His Shadow blocks the way for them, causing them to slide to a stop. Peter straightens his arm and the magic flies off of it around Felix and the fairy. Felix gives him one last sharp look before moving so that the fairy falls on him when they both collapse. Before Peter can make another move, a flash of red distracts him and his Shadow.

He recognizes it as Trinity's ghost-like companion, most likely shooting away to warn her. "It's alright, that's perfect." He stops his Shadow before it goes after the red girl. "Go get what we need, I'll wait here for Trin."

* * *

Trinity's POV

Something doesn't feel right. It hasn't, not since a little after we got back. Now I'm leaning against the clock tower, my arms crossed and pensively thought about the recent events, trying to piece it together. Felix has been acting strange too, and even though he usually rarely lets things get under his skin, he blew up earlier.

It's also strange that, just when they had decided that protecting Henry after a week was a bit much, my uneasy feelings increase. He's not dead...and he's not the type to give up. So...what is he doing?

"Trinity! Good morning!" Snow waves to me as she walks down the street, pushing me out of my thoughts. I smile and wave back.

"Good morning!" I respond and she stops beside me.

"It's cold isn't it? I just saw Pazi, Al, Ollie, and Rufio helping the dwarves gather firewood." Snow says with a giggle and I join her.

"They're trying their hardest to fit in. In the end it's just another adventure for them." I softly muse and Snow nods. "It's more of a challenge for them, because we can't find their family." All of the other lost boys found their families quickly. The ones in the enchanted forest got to them within a day, and the ones from around the world took out of Storybrooke and called their parents from the closest city.

We were all a little uneasy about it, since they're kids, but I had to remind myself that these boys definitely knew how to handle themselves. I hope they all have gotten home alright. "It's strange, they almost seem like they aren't interested in going home." Snow says in a hinting way and I nod.

"They've been friends for so long, the last thing they want to do is separate." I start to trail off as Crim flies before me, appearing to be heaving for breath...if she even breathes. "Crim!?" I exclaim. She told me yesterday that she was going to rest for a while, so it's surprising to see her here.

"In the woods...you have to go...Pan...Shadow..." She says heaving for breath and I widen my eyes. "Auria...Felix." She points in a specific direction but my vision blurs. No, please Peter don't do it again! Snow puts a hand on my shoulder and pulls out a phone.

"We'll wait for Emma and David, it's too dangerous by ourselves." Snow says almost as an order. I close my eyes briefly, knowing that I won't let Felix or Auria get hurt. I open my eyes and look up at where she pointed.

"There's no time. Crim, are you alright?" I ask and she gives me a thumbs up. Like hell she is. "Snow I gotta go." She tries to say something but I'm shaking, not with fear but with fury. I'm pissed, I'm done. The feeling courses through me, and Crim puts a hand on my shoulder before I can run off.

"I didn't...want to do this yet...take care of yourself." Crim says, looking and speaking like she's in pain. When she finishes she disappears, fading away. I widen my eyes, shocked at what's happened. Snow is telling David what's happening over the phone, while I hold out my hands, feeling something pour into me.

I feel something stoking my fire. My magic inside of me being dyed a different color, red. I'm not even sure how it works, but I just think strongly about taking a step and arriving by the woods. I travel in a puff of wispy red that's slick and unlike Regina's thick, pooling smoke.

Snow's voice calling for me seems to carry with me, but I ignore the reason in waiting for others. Right now, all I want to do is end the thing that's threatening my family. "Auria! Felix!" Peter's face flashes in my mind, without any darkness clouding his aura. The, his face appears again, but it's poisoned and wrong. It's...not him...it can't be him.

I run into the forest, feeling strangely unaffected physically. I'm not breathing hard, I'm just moving quickly. Like a wildfire in a dense jungle, I will burn away the darkness. "Good of you to come." A voice says and I stop suddenly, seeing Felix and Auria each tied to a tree.

Pan stands in front of me, grinning darkly. "You're so prompt, Trin." He taunts, yet his eyes narrow a bit as he notices something different about me. Swirling in me is Crim's magic, her passion, her fire. The ground is littered with dead leaves, and the clouds in the sky are blocking out the sun.

"This ends, Pan." I say, shakily but with intent. I hold out my right hand and as I think of protecting my family flames dance along my finger tips. "You have to stop." I allow myself one look of regret and fear, pleading silently with him to stop.

His grin drops into a frown, and he lifts his chin up. "I guess you'll have to stop me, then." His lips turn up again and I hunch my shoulders and screw up my face for a moment before pulling my head back up, glaring. "Oh...don't you look purposeful?" He doesn't expect what happens next, which is me casting a fireball in his direction.

He easily dodges it, but I take the distraction to run to Felix and Auria. Before I get there, my body is pulled back, slung against a tree. I groan, but feel Crim's magic flood into a thin layer around me, and I slip out of the green magic's grip. "What are you even trying to accomplish!?" I demand, sending a wall of fire at him that erupts from the ground in a trail.

He sends a wave of green magic and it stamps out the flames. Fine, then. "Revenge, power? Does it really matter?" He responds and I narrow my eyes. Power...all this time he's been trying to make Neverland the perfect place, so what's with this? I think about how's the darkness has been coming from the Shadow, the manifestation of the terror and cruelness in the Dark ages.

He tries to throw me again but I push his magic back, widening my eyes when I remember what me and the boys had been trying to do before Pan put the spell on me. We'd been trying to save him...weren't we. We were trying to break his curse. "Something wrong, Trin?" He teases as I stop and furrow my eyebrows.

That's right, he's being manipulated by the Shadow and it's darkness. Ever since the spell and Henry's heart...I'd completely forgotten. I'd seen him as the bad guy. "Peter...I'm going to save you." I ran my hand through my hair and smiled sadly. "But first I'm going to kick your ass."

* * *

Henry's POV

His mom hugs him in her vault, making it clear that she is a little bit shaken by the return of Pan's threat. Everyone had thought that he was gone, we all thought it was over. The second he was pulled away by the Shadow, memories from the time he spent on Neverland came back.

It didn't scare him, no it made him want to puff out his chest and protect his mom. After all he'd spent that time with the dark creature in Pan's camp. Still, his mom didn't want to hear anything more about him being a hero. "Henry, I'm going to go work this out, but you need to stay in here." She tells him but he shakes his head.

"No way. I promise I won't put myself in danger but at least don't lock me up." He says and she bites her lip. "Please." He suddenly thought of what Trinity, Felix, and Auria would think of Pan, or at least his Shadow being here. He can't imagine that any of them want to go through that again.

"Fine," His mom concedes and he pumps a fist in the air. "But you'll stay at Granny's instead." He hand fell back down as he realized that his mom didn't understand at all.

Minutes later they both magic right outside the diner. He watches as Regina walks over to Emma, who's calling someone with a desperate and kinda angry look on her face. "Dammit, Trin!" She angrily hits a button on the phone and Regina has to grab her arm to get her attention to say something.

Emma turns and sees him, quickly hurrying to hug him. "Hey kid, what happened?" She demands and he smiles, brushing it off so she won't worry so much. His moms have put in so much for him, worrying beyond themselves, they don't deserve to have to worry anymore.

"I'm fine, mom, it was exciting!" He bounces a bit, knowing that it was a bit scary, but more exhilarating. Emma frowns a bit, looking as if she wished he would be more careful. "But, how's Trin?" He asks, and Emma's face changes.

"Snow said she disappeared...I can't...I can't believe this is happening again." Emma says, looking worried out of her mind. Henry drops the excited and playful kid presence, and instead tilts his head. "If anything happens..."

"You really worry about her, huh?" Henry asks and Emma gives him a slightly nervous look.

"I probably shouldn't be so arrogant to think I could replace her birth mother, but she's so young to be on her own." His mom bites her lip, and Henry smiles. He remembers how much Trinity would fawn over how cool his mom was, especially when she first came to town.

~" _Your mom_ _'s taking on the mayor just to stay in the town 'cause you asked her. She's so brave!" She said as she welcomed Henry to hang with her in Gold's shop while she worked the counter.~_

He laughs as he remembers it, and thinks about how much Trinity's dealt with him getting into trouble. She put him over herself on Neverland, too. "Ya know, she'd be the best sister ever." He says, and Emma smiles with a slight grimace.

"I'm going to go find her, then." She says and Henry grins with a thumbs up. Behind her, he could see Snow explaining to David and Regina, while Regina in turns tell them about him. "But you better stay in Granny's, I already have enough to worry about."

* * *

Auria's POV

Her eyes creaked open, soft light encouraging her to drag herself back into reality. Auria groaned a bit, but when a blast of magic shot by her vision she quieted herself. Pan...right. After Auria had given Felix his feather trinket, they saw Pan and his Shadow. After a few days, Auria guesses she shouldn't have thought that it was over.

"Felix." She whispered, keeping her head down. Her arms are pulled behind the tree, yet she tries to pull them to feel out for anything useful. "Felix!" She goes as loud as she dares, but doesn't want to alert anyone that she's awake. Without being able to find anything useful, she looks up at the conflict before her.

Trinity jumps into the air and flips herself to avoid magic like a vine that's racing towards her. Pan jumps back as she lands and runs for him, using a strange magic, that Auria's never seen before, to light a fire slightly ahead of her and to her side. Auria widens her eyes, how's that for a panic attack, Felix?

She almost gasps when Trinity uses the fire magic to distract Pan, before landing a good punch on his cheek. Suddenly, Auria remembers the knife that Trinity and Felix both insisted on her carrying around, in case anything were to happen. According to Trinity, this town never really stays still for very long.

She stretches her hand to her boot, one of the many things she's borrowed from Trinity. Her old fairy flats had been promptly thrown away, along with everything else she'd had on herself for so long. She questioned about the logic of keeping it in her boot, but Trinity proclaimed it was 'cool.'

Considering it's the only spot Auria can manage to reach with her hands, she'll thank her later. When her fingers finally brush the knife, she pulls it out and furiously cuts at the rope. Once it's cut she won't have very long to get Felix out before Pan notices...unless Trinity keeps him distracted.

"I'd heard this place is very fond of the Dark curse, hope you don't mind me borrowing it a bit." Pan says and Auria moves quickly away from the tree to Felix. "This will be the new Neverland."

Auria stiffens, but in the next moment she finishes with Felix's ropes. He slumps forward and Auria pulls him to the side, smacking his face a bit. "Felix...please wake up! We have to go!" There's no way she can compete against Pan, as much as she wants to help Trinity, she would just get in the way.

Then, all the way from Trinity and Pan's fight, a burst of green magic shoots toward her and Felix. She tries to pull Felix away, but his weight is too much for her. Trinity calls her name, but she barely notices. "Felix!" She screams and throws herself over him, bracing herself.

* * *

 **You hate me. It's okay. I know. It's alright, I completely understand. Anyway, pitchforks aside how did you like it? I would love hear more from you all! I'm super busy right now so thanks for reading and have a good day! XOXO**


	29. Ooze

**Alllllllrighty. A friendly bit of advice to anyone who might, out of the blue chance, be interested in writing stories of your own. Save...often. Because there is no crash worse for a creative mind than having excitedly poured yourself into writing a dramatic piece of your story and omg it's so good and okay let's save now-**

 **Oh. Oh dear. The site crashed. Would you look at that. Please. Login again. Oh. You're heartbroken because your writing that you felt was close to perfection has vanished? Well. You typed in that number code wrong. Looks like you can't do anything right. Ha. Ha. Ha.**

 **Ha.**

 **Ha.**

 **Anyway I think what I've got in store for this story is pretty neat. At this point I'm totally pulling stuff from behind my ear. But hey, these quarters are plotted about. Thanks for all the support, and I hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Felix's POV

He opens his eyes to see Auria shaking in front of him. His eyes widens as he tries to piece together what had happened, but he gets caught off guard by her smiling at him. "Oh good...you are not hurt." She says before slumping on him. He looks up, past the girl in his arms, and sees Trinity burst into flames.

"Felix? Get Auria out of here!" Trinity calls to him and he scoops Auria up easily, trying to ignore the way Pan is laughing at him. Instead he turns to go, calling over his shoulder to Trinity before he leaves.

"I'll be right back." He's pushing back every instinct he has, which is to stop his two most important people from killing each other, and rather carrying this girl out of harms way. He's only known her for a week, yet somehow feels responsible for her getting hurt. Was she...protecting him? That what it sounded like when she spoke.

He scowls as a burst of green magic hits a tree close to him. Wondering why the girl would care enough to block him from a dumb spell. If anything she should've used Felix as a shield. As he runs, the feathers in his hair brush his cheek, and his face becomes blank again. She was worried about him before too.

He breaks out of the woods and into a random part of the town. Not knowing what to do, he finds a bench and kneels down as he lay her on it. "Thank you Felix." She says softly, her eyes still closed. He smiles despite himself, and laughs softly.

"You're an idiot, sweetheart." He mocks and she smiles and makes a waving motion with her hand, as she sits up.

"I am okay, go and help Trinity. I have to tell Regina what he's going to do." She says and opens her eyes slowly, squinting a bit as the sun peeks out from the clouds. She begins to stand up, but stumbles a bit. Felix holds out his arm and catches her, the moment pausing as she looks up at him with a surprised face. "My bad."

Felix grunts and helps her steady herself. "You sure you're okay to walk?" Felix asks seriously, but Auria just smiles broadly, nodding. He can't help but start to feel angry that she got hurt, perhaps especially because she's trying hard so he won't worry. After a moment he shakes his head. "No, I'll take you to them. Trin seemed to be handling herself."

He's worried for her too, but leaving Auria seems to put off on him as a bad idea. He sees Auria's bright smile falter, almost as if she's confused, but she seems to accept that he's coming along. Besides, if he could compete against Pan he would've done something years ago.

At this point, he just has to trust that Trinity won't get herself hurt. Reminding himself of her beating him, without magic or memories, in Neverland gives him more confidence in her. Soon, after searching the unfamiliar streets for a few minutes, they see a group of those adults turn a corner.

Auria stretches up to wave, but winces. Felix pushes her arm down and calls out to them. "Oi!" He shouts and the ones named Regina, Emma, and David run up to them. "She got hurt." He says before Auria can make her case. In that moment he sees something dark flash above them.

The Shadow. "What was that?" The man David exclaims and Felix growls, debating on whether to go back or stay with Auria. The fairy grabs Regina's sleeve, pulling the attention in two different directions. One with the Shadow, and one with her.

"Pan is planning something." She says breathlessly, and Regina looks over her confused as much as concerned. Felix almost jumps when the woman Emma places a hand on his arm.

"Have you seen Trinity?" She asks and Felix narrows his eyes, but nods. If there is anyone in this town he hates most, it's probably this woman. "Where?" She asks but Regina pulls her away before he can answer. Whatever Auria told the queen, she must've not liked it.

"He plans on enacting the Dark Curse!" Regina hisses and Felix puts the pieces together as quick as everyone else does.

"He's going to use Trinity's heart." He drawls, keeping the panic locked inside him. If Trinity dies, the only thing he'll have left is a perky fairy. They're silent for a second, until Felix points towards the woods. "That way, it's not far. There was a well or something close by them."

Emma moves immediately, along with David, but Regina stays and uses magic to heal Auria. Regina's hand glows purple as it hovers over Auria's back. "He hit you dead on." Regina comments and Felix frowns, knowing it hurts more than Auria lets them know with her determined smile.

"It is not that bad." She says and once Regina is done Auria stretches. "We should join them." She says but Felix places a firm hand on her shoulder, prevent her from moving past him.

"No. You'll get in the way." Felix drawls and ignores her pouting face as he pulls out the claw with the feathers attached to it. "Hold it for me...wouldn't want it to break." Regina eyes them, but follows after Emma and David without saying anything. Auria takes the hair trinket, but with a frown.

"I can help." She protests but Felix just turns and walks away, waving a casual salute behind him.

* * *

Trinity's POV

I think I combusted after he hurt Auria, but I didn't really bother to check. All I knew after that was that I was winning. Peter had several bruises and burns on him now, and was starting to weaken. I hated having to do this to him, but the attack on Auria made me severely less guilty.

He'll thank me later...maybe. For now I just have to detain him, then figure out how the hell to cure him. I breathe heavily, feeling that Crim's magic is almost used up after the catching on fire occurrence. My feet step forward, but I feel my energy draining quickly before doubling over in pain. My knees hit the ground and I realize there's something pushing me down.

The Shadow has it's hand-thing on the back of my neck, and I let out a scream of pain as it starts to pull something from me. My shadow...just like it did to Greg. I'm going to die, huh? I close my eyes and wonder if my life has been worth a fairytale, and if it's something that'll ever be able to teach a lesson.

Before my eyes close, I see Peter with a grin on his face, wiping dirt off his face after a stupid stunt gone wrong. He laughs, "You look awful, Trin." His joking voice makes me smile as he reaches out to offer me a hand. I hold mine out as darkness fills me, and I slip into a unconscious haze.

So do you.

* * *

My eyes shoot open, and I look around confused. Am I dead yet? For a second all I see is white, but then a forest fades into view. I blink as the harsh sun glares in my eyes, and hold up a hand to block it out. What's going on?

Someone runs past me, and I nearly scream as I look ahead to see a tiger bounding towards me. "Run, Lost girl!" A familiar voice calls to me and I turn and quickly pelt after the boy who ran past me. His hair is blonde, and he pulls a dark cloak off and throws it back at me. "Toss it at him!" The boy yells, and I turn for a second and throw the flapping garment on the tiger, causing it to stumble while I hold my stomach in.

It had been three feet from me. The boy in front of me laughs, and I try to distinguish who it is. We keep running, but suddenly the ground disappears and I'm falling into water. The sudden transition disorients me, and I'm winded as my back hits the water clumsily.

I sink for a moment in the tranquil lagoon, but someone grabs my hand and pulls me up. I gasp for air when we break the surface, and start to freak out, thrashing a bit and wishing to understand where I am. There's no way I'm on Neverland...right? The person who pulled me up just laughs, and waits for me to calm down as he carries us to the edge of the pool.

"Princess, you weren't supposed to fall in!" The boy who called out to me before says from above, and I realize the one who helps me onto dry land is different. I fall to my knees on the sand an cough up water.

A hand is on my shoulder and I look up to see Peter, his face hazy but gracing a concerned smile. "Hey, you okay, Trin?" He asks and I raise my eyebrows. The boy from before jumps down to join us and I recognize it as Felix. He tilts his head, his face as playful as it is serious.

"I...I don't..." I begin to say, but my lungs still burn. My eyes sting, and I realize that tears are welling up in them. "What's going on?" I murmur softly.

"Sorry, princess. Worst prank ever." Felix says, rubbing my back a bit but grinning like he still thinks it's funny.

"You were fine for a while, what spooked you? Hey, the tiger was just a joke, Trin." Peter starts stammering upon seeing my tears, apparently panicking a bit. "I never would've let it catch you. C'mon I'd wouldn't let you get hurt." He says gently, and I wish I could see his face more clearly. Maybe if I wipe away the tears...

I scrub my eyes but it's still fuzzy and undefined. Peter expression holds gentle, not turning harsh with darkness like it has for so long. My lip quivers a bit and I jump to hug him. He's startled for moment, but chuckles and hugs me back. I sob and twist the back of his shirt in my fists, only being able to feel like I'm half touching him.

"Stay with us, Trin." Peter's voice says, calm, serious, and friendly all at once. I pull back from the hug and stare at him in shock. He smiles gently, and brushes my cheek with his hand. "Don't go back. Don't leave."

The world becomes a little clearer, and I tilt my head as I look over to Felix. "We've got all the time in the world here. Jokes, games, fun times. The way Neverland was meant to be." Felix lists off with a smirk, handing me something. I twist, and Peter holds me as I see my sketchbook.

"I remember this." I say suddenly, and look back forth from them. "We ran away from a tiger, and I fell in with the mermaids, but they were still friendly then. Then when we walked back we picked up a tiger's claw. I made that trinket for you with the claw and some feathers! " I exclaim and stare at the sketchbook Felix gave me. "It was also the day I started drawing in this..." I trail off and flip through the pages.

When I get to the part where Peter's sketches get darker, I brace myself. However, when I flip through those pages it's just different drawings. Some of Peter, some of Felix, some of Pazi and the others in my band, yet none show any darkness. "You can stay here, and the curse will never happen. Neverland will be happy, just like it was when we first came here." Felix says in such a tone as if he's offering to trade lunches.

Peter shifts so that my head rests on his chest, and I start to feel tired. The world becomes sharper and more defined, and I start to feel safe again.

"Henry will never be taken from his family. No one will ever go dark." Peter says and kisses my forehead. It all sounds amazing. Still, just like in all the stories that I've read, it also sounds so...

"Fake." I say and push Peter away lightly, standing up on my own. "Is this what my mind is doing to me? Traitor. What is this, some kind of accepting death thing? You don't think I've been enough of a nerd, read and watched enough stories, to know when I'm being tested?"

Peter widens his eyes and Felix snorts. "Well **screw this!** I'm in for the long run! Subconscious, eat your heart out here, but I'll be taking the next train of thought back to the real world!" I say and even though I expected Peter and Felix to get mad or try to convince me more, similar to how it happens in the books, they just laugh.

Peter smiles and shares a 'What can you do?' look with Felix, who can't stop laughing. The world quickly loses it's sharpness, and soon fades away completely, back to white again. I sigh, did I just flip off the bridge to the other side?

I feel a sharp pain in my chest, and fall to the ground, shutting my eyes on the impact. When I begin to open them again, however, it's reality.

* * *

Peter's POV

He watched as the Shadow tried to kill her, but sent a sleeping spell over her before it could. "Get off her!" He barks at his Shadow and the dark creature lets go, but not before shoving her to the ground. Peter releases a breath he was holding in, rubbing his jaw where he was punched.

"Why!? All we need is her heart." His Shadow demands angrily, but Peter glares it down. The standoff doesn't last, as his Shadow just sneers and holds out the ingredients for the curse. Peter takes them, and walks over to Trinity, lifting her onto his shoulder and walking to the well.

His Shadow had explained the process to him many times while they waited over the week, so he finishes quickly and it's soon time for the heart. Peter takes a shuddering breath, and turns to the girl he had placed beside the well. His Shadow hovers over his shoulder, and Peter keeps a straight face as he walks over and pulls her heart out.

Even in her sleep, she gasps in pain, cringing and squeezing her eyes further shut. He stares wide eyed at her heart, swallowing hard. Its pure red glow seems to dance with a hint of blue and green, and to Peter it is more beautiful than the heart of the truest believer.

Maybe holding her heart weakens darkness' grip, but Peter suddenly feels the weight of having a choice again. He follows the skid marks, and finds the place in his mind that has barricaded against the Shadow. He finds the light, that has kept itself hidden for the one moment where he would be able to rid himself of the darkness.

"Shadow." He says and it drifts closer. Peter looks at the glowing eyes. Sometimes red, sometimes green, sometimes blue. He takes one moment, and doesn't hesitate after. His hand lets Trinity's heart gently fall into his left, cradling it with one while the other pierces the Shadow's chest.

He rips out something that's barely distinguishable as a heart, and like a vortex it pulls the body of the Shadow into itself. Peter holds it over the well, squeezing it before he can begin to wonder about what he's done. Unlike a human heart that crumbles into dust, this object is a shell housing black ooze. Once the shell cracks, the ooze drips into the well.

"Peter?" A confused voice to his right would make him jump, but his body is frozen.

A yell of agony comes from Peter as something pools and drips out of his eyes and ears. The ooze blinds him for a moment, but he can feel it trail his cheek and to his hand that hovers over the well.

When his vision clears, he sees the trail of black ooze follow the heart into the well, and his body is released only when the last drop hits the well water. Peter falls onto his back, keeping Trinity's heart close to his chest so it doesn't hit the ground. As her face appears above him he takes his last bit of strength to push her heart back in.

Peter smiles a bit, being able to see her face clearly, and thunder crashes from the spell next to them. "Your eyes...there's no more darkness." She mutters with wide eyes and it's the last thing he hears before the world tumbles away from his mind.

* * *

 ***Ahem* Don't look at me like that...Yes I solemnly swear that this will be explain, but hey maybe you already get it! Ya know the whole heart in the Shadow thing...*awkward cough***

 **Anywho, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this one. Drop a review maybe? I like getting feedback! Have a good day!**


	30. Aid

**Okay so I've kinda had trouble deciding how this chapter will go, but what I'm thinking is that right now it's on a freight train that ain't stopping. Buckle up dearies.**

 **Anyway ya know the Snow and Mary Margret things, well since, at least from what I remember, all Emma said was Mary Margret, I'll do that for her POV. So um, I think I've been typing too hard on the keyboard...cause the tips of my fingers are getting kinda sore...**

 **Just a note, if there are some parts, like Trinity's dialogue, that seems jumbled and confusing- it's supposed to be that way. There are so many freaking characters, it's terrible keeping up with all of them. One might think it'd be a good idea to kill some off just to-...**

 **I said nothing. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

Emma's POV

It hadn't really proven to do much good against magical beings, but I always felt safer when one hand was on a gun. Or taser, any modern era weapon, really. We waited until Regina caught up before advancing into the woods, yet even with her we were on edge. Felix was there somewhere, behind us or to the side. Who knows?

If there was anything we didn't expect it was to see Trinity half carrying, half dragging Pan with one of his arms slung over her shoulder. I ran over to her immediately and she let Pan ease to the ground before putting her hands up. "It's not what you think, Emma!" She exclaimed, but I let the others handle Pan, looking over Trinity for injuries instead. She was beat up bad.

"Wait, he's not dangerous anymore! It wasn't him." She said with a pale face and took my right hand. I gave her a concerned and confused look. "He- he..." She looked like she was about to faint, and I hugged her to support her. "He didn't use my heart..."

"Hey, hey it's okay, Trin. We'll talk about it later, alright?" I said and she nodded reluctantly. I shared a look with David who pointed to the well.

"This...is a big problem." Regina said, frowning as she looked over into the well. "Even if we have Pan, he can't stop this curse now."

"Then what do we do?" David asked gruffly and Felix walked over, hauling Pan up and throwing him over his shoulder.

"Don't you people always have a plan?" He drawled and Regina looked over to me with urgency practically dripping from her.

"Gold might, but we have to hurry. To begin with what should we do with Pan?" She started walking away, and I made Trinity keep a hand on my shoulder for support. David seemed to be watching Felix, and Trinity kept stealing glances back at the unconscious Pan.

"The magic blocking cuff and a cell?" I suggested and that was exactly what was decided. Trinity asked me softly if Henry was okay, and I told her he should be at Granny's with Neal. Around twenty minutes later, Felix carried Pan into the office, while I stopped Trinity outside. "Hey, maybe it's best if you wait out here."

She blinked, widening her eyes a bit as she pulled away. "Well...I can't say that I don't get what you mean, but I'm too worried to stay out. You have to understand what happened. Everything." She responded and I bit my lip. She gave me a pleading look and I glanced back at Regina and David. Even though we'd asked, she'd never talked much about Neverland.

Regina waved at us while rolling her eyes, talking over he shoulder as she walked into the office. "You hear her out, I'll keep a watch on the brat." She sighed while David and I turned back to Trinity. She smiled, but the look in her eyes made her expression appear more a grimace.

"Thank you." She said, but swayed a bit and half closed her eyes. I quickly moved to steady her, and she rubbed her face before continuing. "Uhm...I should start with the Shadow. Essentially it's- it was a manifestation of fear. Emma, you know the Dark Ages, way back when, David I'm not sure if you do- I'll move on. Anyway, between the realms like Neverland, the Enchanted Forest, here, and Wonderland the kinda 'consensus' of emotions is shared. So while the Dark Ages happened here, it was also happening in the other realms. In Neverland, the whole island is made by the dreams of kids, but during the Dark Ages dreams were made of fear and living only to the extent of staying alive. Neverland turned Dark, and even when dreams got better...something like that doesn't just go away. The Shadow is the manifestation of that." She took a deep breath and I put a hand on my head.

David rubbed his chin, almost grinning a bit. "How did you finger this out?" He asked, and Trinity let out a puff of air.

"Ten years on Neverland, access to all the realms- would you leave well enough alone?" She asked and David shrugged, but looked impressed none the less. "I think...over the years the fear and darkness became linked, and the survival instinct made it keep going. When Peter came to Neverland, his shadow merged and became this. It...poisoned him, like being drunk almost, but he didn't know what it was doing to himself. He didn't have a choice, I mean he did but it wasn't really his choice."

I squeezed her shoulder, the black and white-ness of the situation quickly turning grey. This was just a kid...that got stuck in the wrong place. "We understand Trin...what about the curse. What did he use instead of your heart?" I asked and she nodded.

"The Shadow...at least the 'heart' of the Shadow. He ripped out...something from its chest and all of the Shadow was sucked into it. I guess the curse took it as a heart. W-when he crushed it, this black ooze fell out of it. It...uhm...it" She stuttered a bit and pressed her lips together.

"Trin, maybe you should sit down. Take a minute." David tried to soothe her, and she nodded but also held up her hand.

"It also...the same ooze c-came out of his eyes and ears...it went into the well too." She said and I nodded. She must've been terrified, if only we'd been a little bit faster. Still, the memory of Henry's heart inside Pan blocked me from being entirely sympathetic to the boy. "Just give him a chance, okay?"

David put a hand on her shoulder and shared a worried look with me. "We have a curse on our hands, we don't have a lot of time for heart to hearts. Once this curse is gone it'll be different, but for now we'll be fair." I said and she nodded.

"Snow's on her way, she'll patch you up, kiddo." David said and led her to a bench beside the office. I pressed my lips together, my eyes drifting over her scrapes and bruises. I took off my coat and gave it to her, and she looked at me gratefully. She sat down and pressed two fingers to her temple, while David and I walked into the office.

"What do you think?" I asked David once the door was closed, walking briskly to the main office.

He shifted his jaw, clearly trying to process all the information Trinity gave us. "I guess it just depends on Pan. How he acts, what he does. We'll just have to trust our instincts." He said with a bit of a huff of impatience. "You're right, though. We don't have time. If that curse gets out...who knows what will happen."

"Was Pan here the whole time? While we all thought it was over?" I asked unnerved, rubbing my left arm as we joined Regina and Felix. I eyed the blonde, but he just stared with a slight glare at Pan, who was handcuffed to the bed in the cell. I opened my mouth to make a comment about how awkward it was, in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Gold appeared next to Regina in that moment.

The smoke slowly spread out and gave an ominous air of the upcoming curse. "You've got to be joking." Gold said dryly, handing the magic blocking cuff to Regina, and giving Pan a cold look. I made an agreeing face, but reminded myself of what Trinity asked. While Regina put the cuff on Pan's wrist, Felix and Gold shared a disturbing silent exchange. I decided to briefly summarize what Trinity had told us.

"Well you can judge the boy later, for now we have to do something about the curse. It'll be here before sunset." Regina said grimly, turning away from the cell and Gold raised an eyebrow.

"The curse?" He asked but was distracted by Felix striding into the cell. He grabbed Pan, who seemed to have woken up, by the shirt and pushed him against the wall. David rushed over and pulled Felix off, and I shared a look with Regina. She opened her palm up as if to do magic, yet before she turned around, her eyes widened a bit and she let her hand fall.

"Is it morally okay to use magic on Pan, if Trinity can't see it?" She asked in a soft voice, and I gave her a look and shook my head, moving past her to David. Gold pulled Regina aside, then glanced back at me before talking to her in a hushed tone. I decided that not knowing what they're plotting would be bliss for a few minutes, and watched as Pan rubbed his neck and squinted his eyes.

"Well, good to see you too Felix." He mocked, donning a slight frown on his face. I twisted my lips, noting that the kid did seem different. "Have to say, I'm flattered you've taken the time to put me here instead of just killing me." He grins a bit as he leaned against the cell wall, and he gave us all a bemused look.

"Listen, we just need your cooperation to get rid of the curse." I took a step forward and opened up my hand, David giving me an exasperated look once Felix calmed down. Pan kept up his nonchalant attitude, but I could see a bit of him falter, as if he was considering something.

"Why would I do that?" He asked, slipping off the magic cuff and tossing it lightly through the bars. I caught it, but the room went silent, even Regina and Gold surprised that he got it off so easily. "I made that, sorry but it won't work on me. You better make this good, or I'll ditch whenever I want." He taunted, making my radars go off like crazy. He was lying...whatever happened to him, he can't leave as easily as he says.

I went over my options, deciding to put aside my grudges for the boy who almost killed my son, and give him the benefit of the doubt. Trinity, you better be right about this. I walked closer to the cell, and looked down on him with a harsh, yet not cold, look. "Listen, after all you've done, Trinity wants us to give you a fair chance. You can either help us, or not. It depends on you, because if you help, then we'll help you. And vise versa." I didn't like the way my voice sounded, but we were running out of options.

Honestly, not one bit of me expected him to agree. After all the villains and all the reasoning we've tried to do, it seemed highly unlikely that we would gain anything from this. When he didn't respond for a few moments, I let out a sigh and prepared for him to refuse.

"Fine. The Shadow was the one planning everything, really, and he wanted a new Neverland. What that means, not quite sure." Pan said, dropping the sly act slightly. I blinked, wondering if I was dreaming. "However, the gist of it was probably unfriendly." He put a hand behind his head in a relaxed position.

"The only chance we have to reverse it would be with the spell itself. The scroll." Gold said, pointedly ignoring Pan and speaking to David and I instead.

"Alright brat, where is it?" Regina addressed Pan, and he raised an eyebrow before rummaging in his pockets. I shared a look with David, neither of us really expected that he would actually help anyone. After double checking every one he shrugged and resumed his relaxed position.

"Strange, I don't have it." He answered our frustrated looks with a grin, and I sighed and started walking out of the room. "Either it's still there or one of you picked it up." While David, Felix, and Regina stayed in the room, Gold followed me out. He seemed to keep up a pace slightly behind mine, and I looked back a few times in confusion.

"Ms. Swan. It's unwise to trust Pan. He's dangerous to things we mutually care about. I advise you find a way to neutralize his threat...or I will." He stated, and the next step he took left me alone with a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Auria's POV

Auria doesn't understand why Felix didn't want her to help, especially after she proved she was capable of being useful. She protected him from the magic, maybe he just didn't want her to be in danger? ...No way, that boy cares less about her than the feather trinket in her hand. She sighs, and glances shortly at Rufio striding slightly in front of her.

She watches her breath twist in the air before turning to look at the group she'd somehow managed to round up. She'd figured that even if Felix told her to beat it, there was nothing stopping her from warning Rufio and the lost boys who were gathering wood. Along the way, she had run into a half drunk pirate and an angry Tink. Pazi, Al, and Ollie also trail behind them, making lots of noise and asking lots of questions.

"If you three don't shut up, you better believe I'll kick your-" Tink begins to say, but I nudge her before the curse comes out. Rufio snorts and Tink rolls her eyes. "Whatever, you know what- you go ahead. Tell Trinity I'll take care of the boys." She says while running a hand through her hair.

Auria isn't sure if she's doing it because she actually worries about the boys, or if it's just to impress Blue. Either way, she tells Tink goodbye and Rufio shrugs and goes with her. Soon, after she demands that Rufio be incredibly careful, it's just her and Hook walking to the station.

"You are sure you do not want to sit this out?" She asks, knowing that being drunk can impair a person to the point where they are in danger. Hook chuckles, taking another swig from his flask.

"Lass, it takes a lot more than what I've had for me to call a time out." He says and Auria nods. "What about you? You've been through a lot, everyone will understand if you want to stay at half sail for a while." She assumes that the term 'half sail' relates to a ship, and he's referring to her time in the maze.

"I spent so long trapped in that nightmare. This is me taking control of my surroundings, and all the excitement keeps me awake." Auria wonders if she's being too melodramatic, but Hook just gives an understanding nod. "Are you sure they'll be at the Station?" She asks, changing the topic.

They turn the corner of the street and the office comes into view. "Emma sent me a message on this strange technology box. See, there." Hook says and Auria perks when she spots her friend and the woman Snow. She nods to Hook and then starts running off to Trin.

Trinity looks up when Auria reaches her, Hook sauntering up behind her. Snow breaks off from a their conversation and waves. "Trinity! Are you alright?" Auria asks, and despite the far away look in her eyes, Trinity seems to pull herself out of her thoughts and smile.

"I'm fine, Auria that was...when you put yourself in front of that spell... That was incredibly heroic, but please don't ever do it again. Felix has the thickest skin I know. Still, thank you, you're tougher than you look." She says and Auria smiles, but frowns when she sees the red box with a cross on it beside her.

"I am not as hurt as you. What...even happened?" Auria asks but before Trinity can explain, Emma walks out of the station. Trinity looks up, and her face is plagued with worry. Now Auria is even more curious, is Pan still here? Did he enact the curse?

"Hey...we just need to find the spell that Pan used for the curse. " Emma says, looking slightly distracted and pensive.

"I have it." Trinity says suddenly, pulling a tiny scroll out of her pocket. "I picked it up just in case." She hands it to Emma, and the two have a strange, silent exchange. Trin looks like she wants to ask something...but...?

"Thanks, it'll be over soon. I promise." Emma says before pausing for a moment, sharing a look with her mother, and walking back inside.

"Wait, Swan." Hook says and walks in with her. Even though Auria would love to be a fly on the wall in that conversation, she sits down with Trinity instead. After an initial moment of silence, Trinity explains what happened briefly, and Auria gets the sense it's the first time Snow's heard it as well.

"It will take a while for things to change...but if what you said happened means anything, Trin, than I think eventually it will get better. Everyone, including Pan, deserves a chance at redemption." Auria says and Trinity looks up, a bit surprised. She probably thinks that Auria would never forgive Pan after being trapped in the maze.

"Regina was able to change...this town can accept anything." Snow muses, as if she's giving the idea a lot of thought. Trinity looks happy for a moment, and looks off at the tree line with a smile. Then, as if she's seen a ghost, Trinity suddenly turns white. Auria tilts her head and follows her friend's gaze.

"Damn..." Trinity murmurs and stands up. In the trees is a thick, pitch black fog that moves to surround the small town. For a moment Auria thinks that's the end of it, until out of the fog flies dark silhouette. "It's the Shadow."

* * *

 **This chapter...is probably still a work in progress. However, I felt like I'd taken too long already and decided just to go with my guts. How do you like the ending? It was mostly a chill chapter...until that. I know I know, it's kinda a cliffhanger but I feel better about what I want to happen in the next chapter. Anywho, thanks for reading and have a good day!**


	31. Adamant

***Mother %^$#$%. If there is anything that shows my devotion to this fanfiction, it's that I've gone back to rewrite the ending of this #%# chapter three times now because of it being lost to some #!$2 reason. I'll let you adlib to your own amusement. Meanwhile I'm going to go smash my head into a wall repeatedly before I finish this thing for the third time.***

 **I've had a realization. If I ever go to hell, Satan will probably force me to write things over and over, then my entire collection of work being lost at random places do to dumb reasons. No, I'd probs go to hell because when they get on their computer to decide who goes where, they misclick and I'm bumped to the other list.**

 **You know what, I'll just write things down. Eat your heart out bad internet connection that caused my page not to save- ope wait the notebooks on fire. There goes all my work. Typical.**

* * *

Trinity's POV

Somehow, I had been under the assumption that the excitement was finally on the decline. Oh how wrong I was. Now, standing and watching the Shadow approach us with the curse slowly moving at its back, I place no bets on this ending soon. Unless there's some way to stop the Shadow...for real this time.

"Girls you need to get inside." Snow says immediately, but I look to Auria and see a bit of defiance flash in her eyes. We're thinking the same thing. "Trinity, Auria." Snow prompts and I take a deep breath, it's getting closer.

"This is my fight, Snow. Please, go inside and ask Felix to come out too. Don't let the others know for now...they need to focus on getting rid of the curse." I say and Snow gets a protective, almost mother-bear look in her eyes. "Please, if they don't fix this curse, it won't matter who fights the Shadow. We'll all be doomed."

Auria puts a hand on my arm. "Are you sure you are prepared? You seemed a little out of it, can you fight right now?" Auria asks and I nod, clenching my fists.

"Prepared, no. Ready to end this, yes." I say and then open my hand palm up. All of Crimson's magic is gone, but...do I have magic of my own to use? Snow looks incredibly reluctant, but I don't waste any time. "You looking for someone to play with?!" I shout, affectively ending the discussion about staying or going. I step towards the Shadow and it flies towards me.

No more f-ing games to play. I pull out the bottle of pills that Gold gave me, and pop one into my mouth. It tingles and I feel the comfort settling like a layer of protection over my skin. I look back and see Snow rush into the station, while Auria grips her pendant tight.

"Strange, it's unlike your friends to actually agree when one of them faces danger. Normally so many of you throw yourselves at danger to protect each other, that the danger doesn't have to do anything. I could wait and let you hurt yourself by argument." The Shadow's words make me shiver, a reverberation making each syllable seem powerful. The darkness practically pours from him.

"Emotions created you, and it is our emotion that will give us the strength to destroy you." I say, feeling the need to protect my family send waves of power to my palms. The Shadow dives for me and I roll out of the way. "Auria, branch!" I shout to her, and she picks up a rather large branch behind her and tosses it to me with all her strength. The Shadow turns to her and she backs away, holding something to her chest and convulsing her fist.

Dust. I need to come up with a plan fast. "Focus on me, Shadow. It's a date." I taunt and swing the branch through it. The Shadow laughs, and turns to me as Dust explodes around Auria.

"Is that the best you can do? A stick and sparkles?" It taunts and Felix rushes out of the station, quickly assessing the situation with his stoic expression. "Fools. Your only choice is to run." Its eyes flash and it turns around and rushes straight through Felix. I'm confused for a moment, why would it just pass through him?

Felix clutches at his chest for a second, the Shadow floating momentarily behind him. Then, it does something I've never seen it do before. It slips down and matches itself up with Felix's natural Shadow. I open my mouth to call out to him, but stop when he straightens and starts moving towards me with incredible speed.

"Ah!" I let out a yelp as I twist away from his sudden attack, and he yanks the branch out of my grasp. His eyes look tainted red while he snaps the branch in two with his knee, and takes one half while dropping the other. "Auria?" I call to her nervously.

"The Dust is not cooperating! I am trying! Sorry!" She yells back, frustration blending with her worried tone. Okay, maybe we don't actually have as much of a grip on this as I'd hoped we would. Felix- no the Shadow controlling Felix jumps me, and without enough time to dodge I hit his wrist hard to avoid a concession via club.

"Felix, don't worry!" I tell him, but wonder how well I'll do against him when my record on Neverland was 99% Felix's win, once-in-a-blue-moon mine. Then again, I didn't have my memories then. Think positive, Trin. You can't beat it if you're complying to it's negative aura.

The Dust might be the exact thing to fight the Shadow, once Auria is able to control it properly. "Think positive thoughts! I believe in you!" I call to her as I run past Felix and grab the other half of the branch. I see his Shadow grin, and force myself to smile confidently back.

We can do this.

* * *

Felix's POV

If Felix has one thing that he hated most, it's not being in control. Low and behold, he suddenly couldn't do a thing, except feel as if his actions had been overridden. It pissed him off for the first few seconds, and five minutes later it still pisses him off. Trinity huffs and puffs in front of him, no doubt exhausted from this morning, and now having another workout.

'If you don't get out of my shadow, I will personally shish kabob you.' He screamed the words in his head, and only received a fit of almost psychotic sounding laughter in return. Fine, shish kabob it is. Trinity advances on him, taking a rare offensive position. Her stick jabs him in the side, and Felix, or the Shadow, tries to knock her off her feet.

The first time he'd tried, she hadn't even entertained the idea, bouncing away quickly. At this point she was slowing down, and Felix could feel the Shadow's anticipation grow. It expected her to run out of energy and become vulnerable, yet he knew best that she doesn't shut down when she gets tired.

She gets frustrated when her movements slow, angry at the idea of giving up without succeeding at least once. If anything, she is much more powerful after her initial energy runs out. When they had brawled weekly on Neverland together, each time he knew that he should watch his mouth in the beginning of the fight. She was generally more merciful in the kickback if she didn't have a grudge.

"Bonsai!" Auria calls and the Shadow looks over. The Dust blossoms off her back in a pair of wings that Felix has to admit is just as mesmerizing as it is obnoxious that it took so long. "What now, Trin!?" She calls and Trinity bites her lip. The Shadow takes this opportunity, and a few seconds later Felix slams Trinity to the ground.

The skinnier end of the makeshift club is pressed against her throat hard, and it takes all of Felix's will power to stop the Shadow from crushing her windpipe. She struggles and grabs the club, desperately pulling it as her face starts to turn pale and then blue. Auria tries to push him off her but Felix easily throws the fairy back a few feet.

"Someone's being naughty." A new voice says and a burst of magic sends Felix into the air and against the wall of the office. His resistance slumps, and the Shadow forces him to look up. Rumpelstiltskin stands beside Trinity as she splutters to get air into her lungs again. "Someone give me answers before this boy paints the bricks."

"It is not Felix! The Shadow has control of his actions!" Auria exclaims, comforting Trinity and rubbing her back. Trinity looks up at the Dust dispersing around Auria as the Shadow stands up and starts walking forward. It's disappointed, and Felix grows angry at the excitement it harbored towards killing Trin.

"We're buying the others some time to figure out the curse, while we handle this. Auria, I think we might be able to use the Dust against the Shadow. Mr. Gold, can you hold him back somehow?" She asks and Felix wonders if the old man has a soft spot for Trinity, especially since he came to help her right when she needed.

"Rumple!? Where did you go?" A woman's voice calls, and the Shadow's advance is stopped, Felix's body being slammed against the wall by magic again.

"Stay away, Belle! Everything's alright!" Rumpelstiltskin replies as the woman Pan used to taunt his determination turns the corner. Felix can feel the Shadow building up energy, and once it has enough it'll break away and take after the woman. Meanwhile, Trinity holds out the stick in front of Auria.

The fairy closes her eyes and concentrates, some of the Dust flying around her vortexes into the stick, and the object starts to glow orange. "This is a first." Auria says as Trinity brandishes the now powered up object. "I do not know what you plan to do with that, though." As soon as the words are out of her mouth the Shadow pulls out of Rumpelstiltskin's restraint and Felix runs toward Belle.

It happens so quickly that Felix hardly has time to wonder what would happen if the Shadow killed Belle using his body. The club was about to come down on the woman's head when someone else pushes her out of the way. Rumpelstiltskin uses his magic to pull Felix back, but before he does Felix sees Baelfire on the ground with Belle.

A bit of relief passes through him, but not nearly as much as after he'd almost killed Trinity. "I'm not sure how I plan to use this either...Mr. Gold? Any ideas?" Trinity asks, looking shocked at him almost killing Belle.

"You're not going to like it." Rumpelstiltskin says with a sigh, keeping a tighter magic grip on Felix. "If you kill Felix with the Dust, it should affect the Shadow as well." Nobody moves for a few seconds, but Auria finally pipes up.

"No way! There must be another way!" She exclaims, holding onto Trinity's arm in a desperate manner. Rumpelstiltskin shoots her a half sympathetic half 'deal with it' look. "Anything else...?" Felix isn't throwing himself off any cliffs, but in retrospect he is on track for a life a lot longer than most. At this point, if he did die it wouldn't be like he hadn't had his chances.

He summons what resistance he has to the Shadow and locks eyes with Trinity, perhaps even creating a glare from concentration. "Trinity..." He grunts out, surprising her. He's not a romantic, he's not sentimental. Felix knows what he wants, and that's to see his two important people happy again. "...Do it..."

"It has to be now Trinity. The curse is approaching rapidly." Rumpelstiltskin presses and Trinity's grip on the stick visibly tightens. She walks over to him, and Auria stands back with her hand cupped over her mouth. Stupid fairy. Trinity looks at him with wide, but determined eyes. Rumpelstiltskin waves his hand and the stick in her hand becomes a wooden knife. How merciful, Rumpel.

"I'm sorry." Trinity manages to get the words out before raising the wooden knife in her right hand. Felix closes his eyes, before feeling a sharp, agonizing pain.

* * *

Peter's POV

He sat in the dumb cell, trying to focus the straying bits of magic inside of him into a collective bundle. Maybe then could bust out of the place and help with whatever Trinity and Felix were getting into outside. It hadn't taken much for Peter to deduce what was happening, what with his connection to the Shadow and both Felix and Snow White acting suspicious.

"If we destroy the spell, then everything goes back to how it was before. Maybe we can find something else to do before it comes to that." Regina said, and Emma held up a weary hand, glancing over to Peter briefly before continuing.

"What do you mean, everything? As in...everything?" She asked and Regina shrugged.

"We'll all be sent back to the Enchanted Forest. At least, all those that originally came from there." Snow White responded solemnly and Peter felt a bit of magic click when he frantically tried to unlock the handcuffs.

"Meaning, Henry and Trinity..." David says while rubbing his face. "We don't have that choice then. Neither of them deserve to on their own anymore." The man said and silence breathed through the office. Peter wished they would continue their plan for the future somewhere away from him.

As far as Peter was concerned, no one in this town would ever truly host the idea of him staying. Still, if he managed to break free of the cell and cuffs, he knew that ditching town wouldn't be the first thing on his todo list. He'd realized she'll never want to talk to him again. He knew that the last person she ever wanted to see is him.

Yet, he couldn't help but wish that he could make it up somehow. He came to the term that the only place he wanted to go is to her, and no matter where it is...if she'd have him he'd do anything for her. He wanted to finally be able to pay back the tab he'd run up ever since he met her.

She had only ever giving up all she had for him. Even now, she was still trying to give him something, asking for them to give him a chance even if they all think she's crazy. Despite what the Shadow had done to him, she was the light that promised a home for him. If he hadn't traded one last chance in already.

The cuffs break, popping out with a quiet green sizzle. The four adults were too busy trying to come up with a solution to notice, and Peter didn't push his luck. He decided to stay still until he'd worked up enough magic to teleport out. If he thought ahead about anything, he would've done that in the first place.

"Is something going on outside?" Regina asked suddenly and Snow bit her lip.

"It's probably just the dwarves getting frantic about the curse. They do that." The white queen said and Regina seemed to concede to the idea.

'Peter get your ass out here now!... Never mind stay there! How do I cut off someone's shadow?' Trinity's voice manifested in his head, and Peter nearly fell off the tiny bed in the cell. The adults obviously didn't hear it, so Peter focus thoughts in his head, not sure how this would work.

'What- Trinity how?' He tried to ask but she growled irritably through the strange mind-talk.

'No time! How do I cut off a shadow?' She demanded, and Peter determined that something very serious was happening.

'You have to use a specifically enchanted knife...or some kind of magic one might work. Like the Dark One dagger, Rumpel was able to cut his off with it. If you have one then cut around the area that the shadow touches the body. The feet is the easiest because it's the least amount of cutting to do.' Peter listed off, but didn't get another line from her.

What the hell pushed her to ask him that question? "I'm no expert, but the fine print on the spell very clearly said 'no returns or refunds.'" Peter yawned, when the four adults hadn't come to a conclusion yet. He grinned when Regina scoffed at him, but Emma ran a hand through her hair and gave him a cold stare.

"Do you have anything helpful to say?" She asked and he raised an eyebrow, glancing at Snow White and debating whether to say anything or not. Then the idea of Trinity in danger popped up, and he narrowed his eyes. "What's that look for?" Emma demanded and Peter notched his chin up a bit, smirking.

"If I were you, I'd check on whatever's going on outside. Seems to me like it must be dramatic, since Trin just asked for a professional opinion on cutting off shadows. Did you know she can speak telepathically?" He said casually, but cut a serious look to Emma. A 'get out there and do something' kinda look.

"Oh no." Snow White murmured, holding a hand up to her mouth while David started moving instantly. Emma stood there for a moment, assessing the look Peter had given her, before taking off after her father. Hook followed her as if he was glued to her side, which Pan found amusing. Snow stood still, courting a guilty and scared expression while Regina reluctantly followed the other two.

Peter resisted tapping his foot, predicting that the way out of the cell was to pretend he was indifferent on whether he was released or not. "You know, whenever someone stays behind it's usually either to snoop or do something incredibly stupid." He repeated what Trinity had told him once, and Snow surprised him by digging into a drawer.

Wow, he had actually thought she was going with the stupid option but snooping is okay too, he supposed. Honestly he was kinda disappointed that- Snow stood up after retrieving a set of keys, and Peter held back a smirk. Okay, maybe he should stop underestimating the stupidity of this town. "Can you kill the Shadow?" She asked, walking over with a grip so tight that the keys must be cutting into her skin.

"Him taking over my soul really put a damper on our relationship, so I wouldn't put it past myself to take him out." Peter responded, sporting a tone laced with sarcasm. The woman adamantly didn't look away from him, and Peter wonder why she gave off an air of someone you want to believe in you? He thought of the possibility of the Shadow forcing Trinity into a situation where she would have to cut off her own shadow. "If anything threatens Trinity, I'll scatter their remnants across the realms."

Snow seemed to accept that as an answer, frantically unlocking the cell. Peter stood up quickly, moving out before the woman changed her mind or questioned why the handcuffs were off. He was about to leave before she lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Do you love her?" The eyes of this Queen glowed with apprehension and wisdom.

Peter decided that a wisecrack would do him no good for this confrontation, and instead offered the woman a small upward tilt of the right edge of his lip. "With everything that I am." He answered and started to walk out of the room. His strides held a casual aura that coupled with a fast pace to make something an onlooker might call a frantic strut.

* * *

 **Heyyyyy. It's so late right now that it's inconceivably early. Drop a review if you have anything to say please. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed and have a good day.**


	32. Vigilante

**Hello!**

* * *

Auria's POV

Auria wasn't able to move, it all felt very wrong to her. When Trinity raised the knife she thought she must be dreaming! Trinity cares much too much about Felix to ever give up on him so easily. Auria releases the air she was holding when Felix's shadow flies into the air, and its eyes glow with the likeness of the previous Shadow. Gold changes focus to the new enemy, and Auria follows it's flight with her eyes for a moment before snapping her gaze to Felix.

She moves forward without feeling her body move, and her knees hit the ground next to Trinity as she helps Felix come back to the world. "Well, princess, you scared me for a minute there." Felix tells Trinity, and Auria pulls out his hair trinket and presses it into his hand. Felix gives her an odd look, but closes his hand around the feathers. "Sweetheart, why are you out here anyway? You'll do something dumb and get yourself hurt."

Auria puffs up her cheeks, but decides not to give him the pleasure of a rebuttal. Instead she pivots the balls of her feet and begin to ask Trinity what next, when all three of them are distracted by the adults rushing out of the Sherriff's office. Auria stands up and spots the Shadow and Rumpelstiltskin countering each other with magic, but her gaze only flicks to them before the angry glares of the adults demand more attention.

"We are in so much trouble." Trinity mumbles when Emma, Hook, David, and Regina look like they're close to bursting into flames. Auria makes an agreeing noise while suddenly feeling self conscious about the large wings on her back. Still, before the adults can say anything about their vigilante work, the Shadow slips out of Gold's hold.

More commotion happens as the curse thunders, making its presence known while Pan walks out of the station. Trinity turns away as soon as he does, and turns to Auria with a determined, but slightly overwhelmed look in her eyes. "Dust...Trinity I should be able to manipulate the dust to trap the Shadow." Auria insists and despite the looks she gets from Felix, Trinity nods and bites her lip.

"Okay, you trap it and I'll take it out with this." Trinity motions with the makeshift wooden knife, still glittering with Auria's orange dust. She remembers how it felt to purposeful infuse it, like she was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing.

"Trinity!" Pan calls out a warning as the Shadow dives for the three of them. Auria shoots out her hand to have the dust moves form her wings and wrap around the Shadow. Trinity twist herself in a sudden move to stab it, but the black creature slips out of the dust in a sudden opening.

While Auria lags with the dust, the Shadow moves over to the adults. Before Auria can catch up it grabs Regina's shadow from her back, and pulls. It's all too quick, and while reaching with her arm to manipulate the dust, Auria loses her footing and falls forward. Felix lunges out to catch her, and all she can hear is Regina's scream of agony.

A moment later, Auria raises her head and watches as Pan grabs the arm of the Shadow and separates it from Regina. With his grip on the Shadow, it stays still long enough for Auria to encase it with dust. Trinity scrambles over and stops next to Pan, shoving the knife mercilessly into the Shadow. The other adults look shocked, but there's not much time for reactions as a high pitch noise lets loose in the air.

Auria pushes herself up as Trinity slowly lets go of the knife in the Shadow, and all of a sudden a huge burst of energy is released. Felix holds onto Auria, the adults are pushed back by the energy against the doors of the office, and Pan and Trinity fly back through the air.

* * *

Trinity's POV

My heart races as I plunge the knife through the Shadow. One by one I pull my fingers off the knife, and then I make short eye contact with Emma on the other side of the Shadow and dust mess. Before any words can be explained, Peter grabs my left forearm as an explosion of energy pushes everyone around the Shadow away. Emma and the others into the wall, and Peter and I back through the air.

I expect to hit the ground on my side or face, but as my hand grabs Peter's right forearm and our arms lock together, my feet hit the ground. I hold up my hand in an attempt to block the energy escaping the dying Shadow, and Peter does the same with his left hand. It feels almost cliché, like a pose that has been planned out.

Still, as the energy dies down and I catch my breath, I realize this is exactly how I daydreamed it would end. For years on Neverland I imagined Peter and I would finally end the Shadow, standing hand and hand and facing it head on. I guess I hadn't expected how messy it would have to become to get here.

When it's finally quiet, and the only thing left where the Shadow used to be is a black clothe and splinters, I let go of Peter's hand. He shoots me a look, one filled with an apology coupled with regret and hope. "Trin." He murmurs, and I widen my eyes. I shake my head with a rueful look before turning to look behind me. Barely a meter away from my back foot, Auria and Felix sit looking up at us.

In a flash of a second, all of Auria's dust congests with her again, and it all goes back to pendant form. I move slowly, my muscles aching and complaining, and offer them both a hand. They each take it and I haul them up. "I'd watch your back." Felix murmurs with a slight hint of humor in his tone, and I turn around to be pulled into a hug.

"Oh thank god." Emma says and I hug her back in response. I peek out from her shoulder and see Hook nudge Auria while David ruffles both mine and her head simultaneously. As I pull back from Emma's embrace, Regina cups my face with her hands.

"I'm starting to wonder if half of the trouble Henry used to get into was because of you." She says with a resigned but caring tone, as if she's surrendered herself to our reckless nature.

"More like one third." I respond and Hook squeezes my shoulders with an approving glean to his eyes. "Did you figure out the curse?" I ask hopefully, ready for the good news to come, and to have a happy ending for a while. Emma's eyes dim, and the question hangs in the air like a looming shadow.

"Let's save that for later. For now, what the hell were you kids thinking!?" Regina demands, glaring down mostly at Auria and I, yet giving Felix a couple of glances. I watch as Felix scrunches his nose at being called a kid, and smile for a moment before Regina pulls me back to her reprimand.

While I nod and listen to Regina, I can't help myself from glancing over to Peter a couple of times. He leans against the brick wall, with a slight frown on his face that turns into a smirk when he catches me sneaking a peek. "Regina...I think they've had a long day. Perhaps we should all join the boy at Granny's." Hook suggests and Regina and Emma agree. I turn to Hook, putting my hands together and mouthing 'thank you.'

As we leave I glance back at Peter and wonder if I should ask to work that issue out now. Snow says something to Emma, and I barely catch Peter's name in the conversation. I would turn around and join them if Felix didn't pick that moment to put a hand on my upper back and push me forward. "We should give him some space." He whispers to me and honestly I don't have the energy anymore to protest.

"Trinity." Neal comes over to me and wraps me in another hug, and I punch his shoulder lightly. He had almost been avoiding me after we got back to Neverland, and I see in his expression an apology for it. I brush it off and complement his heroic dive to save Belle. After he promises to talk with me later, he moves aside and waits for Emma, beside Hook. Heh

As we walk, Emma catching up as Snow stayed behind to talk to Peter, I some how end up in between Auria and Felix. It's as if everything tunnel visions for a moment, and we have our only little world with just the three of us. "Did it hurt? When I cut your shadow off?" I ask and glance at Felix to see him grin a bit.

"Sounds like the beginning of a pick up line, princess." He says nonchalantly and shrugs. "I'm alive. It could've gone a lot worse." He answers after I give him a look. Auria walks quietly on my left, and I find myself able to ask the one question pounding against my ribcage.

"Do you think it's possible for Peter to be...to you know. For everyone to..." I trail off, wishing I could pull the words back in the instant they come out. "What do you think will happen?" Neither Felix nor Auria says anything, even when I glance back and forth at both of them.

I sigh, wondering if they both just plan on hanging me out to dry when Felix growls slightly. "Well, Trin, what do you expect? This town is full of idiots, the second I did something mediocrely good they let me frolic wherever I wanted." He responds quietly and Auria chuckles for a second, probably at the use of 'frolic.'

"It would be special if, by next week, everything comes back into order. I am sure you will be able to persuade the town to accept him." Auria adds, twisting her pendant with her fingers. I nod and remember how determined Henry had been when he insisted that Regina be good again. Maybe he'll understand, and help me if I ask.

My feelings turmoil inside of me, so I push my thoughts over to something much easier. "What about the curse?" I ask, flinching when I focus on the impeding thunder. I lower my voice, suddenly feeling like something is very wrong. "Isn't it weird how we're causually cruising to Granny's when we have that looming over our heads?"

Auria raises and eyebrow and ponders it for a moment while Felix sighs, glancing over at me with an almost scolding expression.

"Can't you relax for one second?" His tone implies something and I twist my lips to the left and lean closer to Auria. She cuts her eyes from me to Felix and back to me. "Stop plotting." He grumbles and I smile and pull myself upright again. As we walk into the diner, Auria remembers to tell me about the boys and where they are. I trust Tink, so I sigh with relief.

"Trinity!" Henry exclaims and jumps up to give me a hug. I laugh and return his hug before he tugs on my arm and pulls me over to a booth. "C'mon you gotta see this!" He flips through his lengthy book of fairytales and I tilt my head to the side as he struggles to find what he's looking for. Felix stands close to me, looking over my shoulder and Auria plops down on the other side of the booth, resting her head on her hand.

Finally, Henry stops at a page and lets out a 'ha!' of victory as he points to it. "Oh wow..." I murmur and touch the picture of myself, back when I went to middle school oh so many years ago. "You've gotta be joking." I say mostly to myself as I flip through the pages and see Peter and Felix as well. I keep going until Auria motions to stop at one page.

"It looks like two pages are stuck together." She says, and I realize it's the linking bit of when I was frozen Captain America style. One thing I haven't figured out, is why that happened in the first place. What was the point, why did that woman take me just to do that?

I thumb the page, trying to get it to open yet at the same time hoping it won't. Henry might be frightened if he sees me frozen like that, and I still haven't told him about it despite how many times he's asked me. "Hey, kids" Regina puts a hand on my shoulder and Felix shifts away from me and next to Auria.

"I have to talk with Henry and Trinity alone for a moment, but you two should listen to them." Regina says to Auria and Felix, motioning to Emma, Snow, David, and the others. It's only then that I notice lots of people have gathered in the diner. Snow begins to collect their attention as Regina leads Henry and I outside.

Felix grabs my wrist, causing me to pause before I follow them through the back of the diner. His expression is straight and armored as ever, but I know what he's thinking anyway. "I'll be right back. Don't worry we're in the home stretch." I say softly to him and he lets go, but I squeeze his shoulder before turning around and trotting to catch up.

I don't want to let him out of my sight either, especially since I'm still on edge after the fight. My senses are straining and my muscles are still prepared for a conflict. I let the door shut lightly and try to ignore the impending cloud pressing in on us. "You two, I have something very serious to discuss."

* * *

 _Peter's POV ~Past~_

 _"Would you stop following me?" The girl demanded, crossing her arms and speaking in a sharp, hushed tone. "I already have 911 dialed, all I have to do is call." She threatened, holding up her cell phone. As if Peter cared about that, though she did have a point about him following her._

 _"Hmm." Peter grinned a bit, causing the girl's frown to intensify. "You make a lot of threats for a girl who can't stand up to bullies." He commented as his hand flashed out to snatch her phone away. She reached out to grab it back and he held it up in the air above her._

 _"Hey! It's only 'cause they aren't worth it!" She stammered out after smacking the palm of her hand on his forehead, causing to him to drop the phone. She flipped it shut and Peter rubbed his forehead. "Which reminds me, I should keep the same policy with you. Goodbye." She turned and started walking from the red brick building._

 _Peter widened his grin, sure enough this girl was as fun to play with as he had first thought. "Wait, wait." He looked around to check if anyone was around, before jumping into the air and landing in front of her. "What about the campfire? You proclaimed so valiantly that our trespassing would be punished. What's the punishment?" He asked and she notched her chin up and walked around him._

 _He flew into the air again and this time stayed in the air as he turned upside down and floated in front of her. She stopped so that her nose was two inches away from his forehead, and she screamed before ducking under him and continuing at a faster pace. "C'mon, you're not even a little bit curious as to how I'm doing this?" He asked and she shook her head furiously._

 _"I'm going insane...totally bonkers. Off my rocker." She muttered and he landed on the ground again, running a bit to catch up with her. "Leave me alone!" She demanded and when Peter didn't respond, she turned and pointed a finger at him. "Okay fine. You can use those woods as much as you want if you never talk to me again!" She said and Peter raised an eyebrow._

 _"No way. Hey what's your name?" He asked and she threw her arms up in frustration. "Listen I'll stay out of your woods if you tell me." She huffed and spun around on her heels, continuing her attempt at retreat._

 _"What the hell? I'm probably only talking to my imagination anyway." She rubbed her temple for a second before calling out her name over her shoulder. "Trinity." Peter watched as she stormed away, and he found himself thinking that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to have a girl on Neverland._

 _The next day, despite Felix's urging to get back to Neverland, Peter hovered in front of Trinity's bedroom window. He didn't have to worry about her family, since they were away, and he soon popped the window open. Just as he reached out to pull back the curtains, a baseball bat swung down on his head._

 _Peter flew backwards and held his head in his hands. She was definitely violent enough to survive on Neverland. "Can you be any more of a jerk!?" She demanded as she pulled the window shut and the snapped the lock closed. Peter rubbed his head and looked around. What did girls like, flowers or something right?_

 _A patch of colorful plants sprouted near the house, and Peter pulled out a small pocket knife. While he picked out a few of them, he heard the window open. Trinity leaned out and looked around, and Peter stayed still as she sighed and retreated back inside her room. Several minutes passed and Trinity opened the door, her school bag slung over her shoulder, and Peter held out the flowers with a victorious grin._

 _She looked surprised for a second, but it soon turned to curiosity, then concern, and finally horror. "My Zinnias!" She screamed with a distressed tone and Peter tilted his head. She dropped her bag and ran over to the patch of flowers, spare a few blooms that Peter had removed._

 _As quick as she snatched the flowers from his hand, she ran back inside the house, not shutting the door. Peter strolled inside as she quickly filled up a glass and gently dropped the flowers in. "You are so askin' for it." She growled as she turned to him._

 _"I thought girls liked flowers?" Peter said with a slight frown, not having planned on upsetting her. Her glare softened a bit, and a silence was draped over them. Peter didn't understand what was happening, but Trinity's glare slowly eased into a calm gaze. She sighed, and continued to watch him as he grew more and more confused._

 _Then, in a fluent and snappy motion, she whapped her hand across his head. "If my parents weren't away right now you'd be smoked salmon." She said before moving past him and out the door again. Peter blinked and she mumbled to herself as she picked up her bag. "That's is if you're not just a figment of my imagination."_

 _"I'm not!" Peter exclaimed while running out the door before she locked it. "Why do you keep saying that?" He asked and she shrugged._

 _"Because this isn't normal." Her response was short and clipped, as if she didn't want it sound as sincere as it did._

 _"Normal is nonexistent. It's a word people make up...no. It's how they disguise what they don't want. Kinda...it's how they pretend it's all okay. Well not that either..." Peter struggled to find the right words, and Trinity looked at him surprised as they began to walk down the road. Scratch that. She walked, Peter floated._

 _"The normal things are what we want to change, but we're are too afraid to. Then when something's not normal, we can't believe in it." Trinity mused and he nodded, grinning as an ironic smile twisted her lips. "Like when I met you. I think I just played myself." She laughed and Peter widened his eyes._

 _"Say!" He landed on the ground again and Trinity broke out of her laughter. Peter regretted it for a moment, wishing he'd listened to it for a few more seconds. "Come back to Neverland with me!" He asked and she dropped her jaw, bringing her right hand up to close it. She closed her eyes for a moment and made a face as she went over what he just said._

 _Peter tapped his foot a few times before she finally spoke again. "Peter I can't go to Neverland with you. I have a life here. I have..." Her voice trailed off, and he wondered if he imagined the glean that appeared in her eyes. "I have..." She repeated, and Peter understood why she found the campfire._

 _"Just come for a little bit. One day! If you want to come back to the normal, I promise I will take you back." He said and she shook her head. Peter raised his eyebrows, disappointed. She turned a corner and hugged her bag to her chest._

 _"I have my family. I promised I'd look over the house, so even if I wanted to I couldn't right now." She said and he wrinkled his nose when she used the word 'promised.' "Thank you for the offer." Even though she gave him a smile, Peter could tell she was only faking a cheery attitude._

 _"When are your parents back?" Peter asked, stopping at the corner of the road._

 _"Tuesday!" She called back and Peter grinned. He was determined to convince her to come, even if she was a girl. She was the strangest thing he'd come across in a while, and as he flew away, he began to wonder if anything about her was normal at all._

* * *

 **Thank you and farewell!**


	33. Stripped

**Hehe, so here we are. So you might be a bit confused at the start of the chapter, but I think you'll pick up what's going on quickly. Scratch that, you're gonna be confused at the end too. Hey don't blame me! Okay blame me.**

 **I've got this idea and I'm really liking it. What if Felix trains to be a knight? Imagine this boy who barely had anything as a kid, and grew up to be screwed over by Neverland and such, getting such an honorable title. Like he trains under David, and Felix makes knight bro friends. Since knights were normally nobles, and Felix grew up really poor, he would think differently from all the other knights.**

 **Anywho, thank you so much for all the support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 _Trinity's POV_

 _I pull back from Snow's embrace, trying to ebb the tears that smear my cheeks. "You'll do just fine, I know you will." Snow tells me and I smile through the sadness, nodding. The trees at the town's edge are restless, and I can hardly think right now. Everything is happening too fast. When Regina told Henry and I what they were planning, I had a panic attack. I couldn't breath, I couldn't seem to figure out how to calm down._

 _That feeling is stirring in me again, and I'm wondering if this is really happening, or if it's just a dream. "Thank you for...for everything." I tell her, and glance to everyone else as well. The pain I feel when I look at their faces is dull, as if I've felt it a hundred times before. For a second their faces grow bleary, and I move my hand up to wipe away tears only to find there are none. "Weird..." I murmur, but none of them seem to notice my confusion._

 _Suddenly everything comes into focus again, but this time I'm looking through a camera at a new scene. Everyone's discussing something, and I'm taking the picture from the back of the diner. For some reason, I remember that this should've happened before I said goodbye to Snow. I'd wanted to take a picture at Granny's before Henry, Emma and I left. Quickly, I snap the photo and move away from my hunched over position, straightening myself and removing my eye from the camera view._

 _The scene changes again, and this time I'm back at the edge of the town, with the same picture clutched tightly in my hand. I pull it up to look at it, a simple shot of everyone in the diner. Henry's leaning against the jukebox, trying to deal with the news of having to leave everyone. Auria and Felix are sitting in the booth, looking over the fairytale book, yet Auria is looking up as the photo was taken- having spotted me. Emma is talking with her parents, and Hook and Neal are both having an argument about something._

 _Regina is talking to Mr. Gold outside the shop. Through the windows I can also make out Tink with the lost boys chatting around her as she points to the diner in the middle of a fierce expression. Peter is also out there, sitting on the table and looking through the windows, seemingly right at the camera. Regina's voice makes me look up from the photo, shocked, but the movement is slow and hazy, as if I'm underwater._

 _"You won't be able to keep that." She remarks somberly and I nod, opening up my palm and letting the picture get pulled away by the wind. As I watch it go someone else moves over to me, and I look up to see Felix's face looming over me._

 _"You'll manage without us." He struggles to say, and I have a feeling he doesn't want to look weak. I take his hand and bring it up to my lips, smiling a bit. just as I'm about to say something to him, his silhouette transfigures into someone else._

 _"You can live happily now." Auria tells me, her hand moving to my shoulder. I nod and move to hug her, but she too shifts into another person. Peter places his hand on my cheek, looking at me with eyes full of pain._

 _"Don't listen to them, Trinity! Aren't these the people you find happiness with? You're not the type to let a curse take away you're important things." Peter says urgently, and I widen my eyes. In his hand I see the photo that I let go of, and he places it in mine softly. He leans in, and I look around, seeing all the others watching us intensely._

 _"Peter-" I say, thinking he's trying to kiss me, but instead he just plops his forehead on my shoulder. My heartbeat rises and I come to the conclusion that in the moment of saying goodbye to him forever, I wouldn't have minded_ _a kiss._

 _Once more the world around me changes, and this time I'm shutting the door to a yellow bug. I turn and see Emma in the driver's seat, and Henry buckling up in the back. The car starts to move and I quickly pull down the window. I lean out it and wave goodbye, taking one last look at all my important people before they suddenly disappear, leaving only an empty street behind us._

 _"Trinity, would you get down before you hurt yourself?" Emma snaps with a hefty serving of humor in her tone. I nod and move back in the car, wondering why I can't remember the people I was looking at before, yet at the same time I know that they are important? "What were you even looking at?" Emma asks and I feel myself in the memory smile, even though my dream self is really just confused._

 _Of course, I was waving goodbye to our family. "I'm not entirely sure actually." I hear my voice speak those words as I buckle up the seatbelt, and Henry calls me an airhead before we all laugh about it. For a few seconds we're driving peacefully down the road, but then a cliff appears ahead of us. I try to move, to tell Emma to stop and turn away, but she keeps going._

 _I brace myself, and feel the seatbelt push on me as we nose dive off the cliff. We fall and fall, thousands of images passing by through the windows, until finally-_

"Ahhh!" I scream and sit up straight in my bed, the dream quickly fading from my mind. Sunshine peeks gently through the curtains and my blankets are warm and soft, begging to slip back under them. I blink and rub the crust out of my eyes, patting down my bedhead with my other hand. My mind struggles to replay the last few moments of my dream, but I can't seem to remember if I screamed in the dream or in real life.

Despite my eager pillow, I slip out of the bed and walk over to the mirror. My eyes are red and blotchy, and my cheeks are still slightly moist. Yup, I cried in my sleep again. My mouth twists into a frown as I struggle to remember what I'd dreamed about. It's all there, just so mushed together I can't distinguish one moment from another.

Sighing, I grab the journal on my dresser and scribble down the things I can make out of the dream. With another look at my reflection in the mirror, and resisting the urge to start singing Mulan songs, I make my way out of my room and to the bathroom. Just as I'e splashed a decent amount of water into my face, the door to mom's room creaks open.

"Hey, the same dream again?" Mom asks and I shrug, grateful that I got water on my face before she saw the skid marks of the dream.

"As far as I can tell... did I wake you?" I ask and she presses her lips together before walking over and giving me a hug. "Mom?" I remember the day I first called her mom instead of Emma, it was a few years ago. I'd been so nervous about performing in a play that I'd let it slip. It was a few weeks after she'd adopted me, and she finally explained to me that I'd reminded her so much of herself that she wanted to help me. She squeezes me a few moments until I concede and hug her back. Once again the bitterness of not actually being her daughter is wiped away by her comforting hug.

"No you didn't wake me. Do you want to talk about it?" She suggests, letting go of me and I shake my head. If I had anything to talk about I would, but by now everything about the dream has faded away into a big blob of confusion. "Well, third time this week, if I believed in magic I'd say someone was trying to tell you something." She jokes and I chuckle.

"I'll make breakfast today." I give her a toothy grin before slipping past her and grabbing my polaroid camera from my dresser. Oh how I've cherished this thing since Christmas. Henry and I discuss our plan for the game night tonight while he makes hot chocolate. Soon enough breakfast is cooked, and hot chocolate is on the table. Henry, mom, and I sit down and take the first bites while discussing general daily things.

I bring up the topic of my beach trip next weekend with my friends Racheal and Carlie. "It's not that I'm worried about Carlie's taking us, but Racheal gets overwhelmed easily. Mrs. Fredrickson gets so into the hustle an bustle that I don't think Racheal will have a chance to breathe." I say and stuff pancake into my mouth before I can bring up what happened last summer when we rented the jet ski.

"You're just worried because you have the biggest crush on Racheal." Henry teases and I use my finger to smudge a bit of syrup on his nose.

Mom comforts me on the matter, and instead of correcting Henry by informing him of Racheal's girlfriend, I stand up and grab my camera. Henry and mom are used to it, so they smile as I capture them and the half eaten plates in the shot. I notice that I'm caught in the shot, reflected by the tall mirror behind the dining table. Once the picture is taken I wave it lightly in the air and sit back down.

The morning passes as usual, although some strange man showed up at the door, and soon enough Henry and I are walking out to school. "Bye, mom!" Henry calls and she gives him a kiss on his head.

"Have a good day." I add and note her slightly tense attitude. It might be because she's close to cracking her case, and she's worried about something going wrong. I hug her before she hugs me and give her a serious look. "Be safe out there, okay?" I say softly, since Henry doesn't know yet about how dangerous her job can get sometimes.

She's dealing with criminals, and she's come home a few times with bruises as souvenirs. "I will. See you when you get home. You'll have to help me pick out a good outfit." Bringing up her date, she always knows how to get my mind off the serious things. With that, Henry and I dash out of the apartment and I straighten the ski cap on his head.

I pull on my winter hat, with ear flaps that hit my shoulders. My hair slips down to my middle back, and I push it all out of my face with both hands. "You don't have to walk me to the middle school, you know." Henry complains and I narrow my eyes, looking around.

"I'm worried. You said someone was following you yesterday." I point out and he shrugs. "Tell me again what he looked like, I'm keeping an eye out." I glance around us, checking behind and on the other side of the street. I bump into someone while my head it turned, and I quickly apologize before catching up with Henry.

"You're acting way to suspicious, just so you know." Henry jokes before telling me the boy looked to be about 17, had light brown hair, and dressed like he was from a Shakespeare play. I quit looking around, but I don't let my guard down until Henry is walking through the gates of his school. "See you later." He says and smile as I wave goodbye, thinking about the game night we have planned.

To get to the high school, I have to turn around and take a different route, passing by our apartment again. I walk up near a man and a teenage boy, both dressed in strange clothing and try not to make eye contact. "We only have enough for Emma, so avoiding the lass and lad would be best for now." The man says and I stop dead in my tracks.

"You got to try jogging Emma's memory, I can do the same with Trinity." The boy says smugly and I slowly turn my head so that I can glance over them both. Hearing the boy say my name sends shivers through me, and I recognize his description as the same boy Henry saw following him. They don't seem to notice me, and slowly move my hand to my phone in my pocket.

I dial Mom's number, and hold my thumb over the button. "No. I did that only because we have _that_ as backup..." The man says and just as I'm sure their talking about something incredibly illegal I notice that the man trailed off with his words. They're both silent, and I groan softly, knowing that when I look over at them they'll most likely have noticed me.

* * *

Felix's POV

He opens his eyes as the memories in his mind are vigorously scrubbed away. He tries to recall something, anything, but it's all disappearing. When he looks up, he finds the same town that he was pretty sure he'd never planned on coming back to. Then again, nothing seems to be going to plan lately.

Felix blinks, and double takes in his head. What hadn't gone to plan? It's obvious to Felix that he's missing something, but he can tell it's too far out of his reach. "Uhm, can I be let go of?" A small voice says and Felix is spooked as he realizes that he clutching onto someone, holding them tight. He didn't even realize, because his arms link ideally around them and their body fits into his like a puzzle piece.

"Oh uh..." He slowly lets go, stepping back with his arm hovering in the air. Auria looks back up at him, her eyes widening as she looks Felix in the eye. "Auria?" He asks, feeling a huge stone drop in his stomach. He flicks his gaze all over her, grasping at straws in an attempt to remember.

"What's going on? Were we not just...going to the Enchanted Forest?" Auria asks and Felix shrugs. He puts a hand to his head and feels short, clipped hair. Auria laughs a bit at his surprise, but he points to her hair that only goes a few inches past her ears. "Oh my, this is definitely new." She exclaims and touches it tentatively.

"We should find someone else." He says and Auria nods in agreement. Something inside him feels like smiling, but instead he scowls at her being the one with him. Without Trinity, neither of them has any business with each other, so why did he have her in his arms. The entire situation makes him feel uncomfortable, so he takes long strides and leaves Auria behind him.

"Rufio!?" Auria calls out from close behind Felix, and he groans at her constant protectiveness of the kid. "Rufio?" She calls again before Felix stops and turns to look at her. Speaking of protectiveness... right before she left, Trinity had asked him to look after the pesky fairy. That would explain why he was holding onto her, probably protecting her from something.

"Doubt he's anywhere around here, sweetheart." Felix drawls grouchily and she shoots him a look. He waits for her to catch up with him, and she sighs with a frown. He scowls before suddenly feeling around him for his hair feathers. He finds them hanging where they normally are, next to his left ear, and relaxes again.

Ahead of him, he squints to see the diner with people crowding around it. "At least we're not alone." Auria says with a sigh and Felix glances sideways at her. The fairy has her hands pressed to her stomach, twisting them and wringing her fingers.

"Are you scared, sweetheart?" Felix asks and she tenses before nodding.

"I was really worried for a moment there. It feels like a ghost town." She confesses and Felix double takes, thinking about how her tone and accent seems lax.

"You're talking different than before." He notes with a drawl and she puts a hand to her lips. "You're less annoying now." He jokes and she rolls her eyes. Snow White and David notice the two of them walking up and Felix tries not to hurl at how relieved they look.

"Oh, you two are alright too!" Snow exclaims and wraps Auria in a quick hug. Felix eyes David warily, receiving the same look from the snobbish royalty. He'd never like royalty, mostly because they spent so much time worrying about clothes and nice things. Felix didn't have to think about it on Neverland, but now...

Once he's pulls his sight away from David, he widens his eyes as he notices the belly of Snow White. "Snow you're pregnant?" Auria exclaims and for some reason Felix feels like laughing. For no reason in particular, he scans the crowd of enchanted forest citizens. That's when notices the lost boys in a huddle, talking about something urgently.

He also notices that Rufio's missing from the four of them. He's about to figure out a way to keep Auria distracted from then when he sees the Evil queen, Regina, striding towards them. Auria looks up and the fairy and ex-queen share some type of silent conversation. In a few more seconds, Auria's hugging Regina as if they were mother and daughter, or something absurd like that.

"Uh.." David looks just as confused as Snow and Felix, all three of them watching the encounter with different expressions. David looks perplexed, Snow is smiling, and Felix feels slightly afraid of all the hugging and mushy mush.

"Oh, have any of you seen Rufio?" Auria asks, pulling away from Regina. Neither of them seem to want to explain, or even think about, what just happened. "Rufio?" She calls again, and a cold, harsh wind nearly pushes them off their feet. Felix grabs Auria to keep her from falling over and blinks, searching around with a sharp look in his eye for whatever happened.

When he finally spots it, he wishes that he didn't. Standing there with dark jeans, a black shirt matched with a grey jacket is Rufio. No one says anything, and even though Felix tries to move, he finds that he's frozen in place. He hears Auria gasp and his insides twist with a dark, deep tremor of horror and guilt. Rufio walks toward Auria, holding a craggily knife with 'Rufio' name etched on it.

Felix would bet everything he owns that everyone who sees what he sees is thinking the same thing. 'What the hell happened?'

* * *

 **Told ya you'd be confused at the end. Just imagine how Trinity is going to react. "Rufio, I'm gone for 2 seconds and you've off and become the dark one!?" Thanks for reading and have a good day!**


	34. Movement

**Let's see if we can make a little more sense this time around, shall we?**

 **SUPER IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT HERE~~~**

 **Okie doke so this is the last chapter! What!? Yeah actually. Don't worry though cause it's only in this story. So, once this chapter is posted I'm going to start working on the next one, but instead of uploading it to this story I'm going to make a new one and put it on that one. Thank you for everyone that has jumped on this train! I really appreciate everyone who reads even if you just skim through. Thank you so much, and I can't wait to start a new part of this story. Just look on my profile for the story.**

* * *

 _Peter's POV ~Enchanted Forest past~_

 _He opened his eyes and gritted his teeth, the town of Storybrooke gone, along with Trinity. Once again he was separated across worlds from her, but this time he didn't have his Shadow to take him through the realms. The rest of the townspeople began to mingle and discuss their sentiments about coming home, but Peter just started to brainstorm._

 _If he could somehow get back to that world, he knew enough to traverse and learn there. He could search for Trinity, get her to remember. His thoughts immediately went to Neverland, a link between realms. If he could get to it, then he might be able to get anywhere from there._

 _"Pan." A girl's voice stirred him from his thoughts, and Peter glanced up and around looking for Trinity. Instead he saw the fairy girl standing nervously in front of him. He sighed, wondering if she thought him to be some kind of charity case for her to work on. "I was wondering where you plan to go." She asked and adverted her eyes, before biting her lip and returning her eyes to his face._

 _Peter realized that she was afraid of him, and he rolls the idea around in his head for a moment. Because of the Shadow, he was always angry and always made others afraid of him. It's also because of the Shadow that he lost Trinity for a second time. Peter considered that the fear might be useful, but tossed the idea away in an instant. Not only was it useless for him to act oppressive, he was simply tired overall of being angry and mean all the time._

 _"Auria, isn't it?" Peter asked and she nodded quickly. "Call me Peter."_

 _"Oh...alright." Auria tilted her head and looked over him curiously. Peter noticed her flushed cheeks and red eyes, she'd cried when she said goodbye to Trinity. "It is just that...it seems a lot of people are going to the castle. However with the circumstances you might find it pointless to stay with the town. Then again, I do not imagine that you wish to return to Neverland." So the fairy is good at reading people._

 _Peter was about to respond, when Felix stepped up next to Auria. He gave Peter a cold look that reminded himself of their broken friendship. "Your friend wanted to talk to you." Felix told Auria in a careful tone, and pointed to Tinkerbell. Auria took a sharp breath, surprised by Felix, before giving Peter a nod and scurrying to her friend._

 _"I'm not going to hurt her. Besides she came up to me." Peter said after Auria left, and Felix's nostrils flared momentarily._

 _"Who said I cared about her getting hurt?" Felix drawled and Peter almost reminded his friend that he could read him easily after so long. Peter tapped his chin, and wiggled his shoulders a bit._

 _"Do me a favor and just hit me already." Peter said exasperated and Felix scrunched his eyebrows together to try and understand. "Go ahead, right here, somewhere on my face." He urged and Felix, for once, dropped his attitude and look confused. He only used to do that around Trinity, but Peter wasn't going to bring that up._

 _"Why would I hit you?" Felix asked cautiously, as if he didn't trust Peter._

 _"Because I spent years treating you like shit." Peter explained and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know why you didn't hit me sooner. Let's just...avoid the whole feelings hurt on both sides thing and just make it even." He said and Felix shifted his jaw._

 _"You think you're the only one that did things they didn't like in Neverland? You think it can be fixed by a punch?" Felix asked and looked away._

 _Peter thought he looked awfully tempted, but it was true that Felix normally keeps his cool. "Or tw-" The next thing Peter knew his face was hitting the grass, and his cheek was throbbing. He pushed himself up and rubbed the aching left cheek, all while a few of the towns people looked stared as if they wished they had popcorn. "Nice one." Peter croaked out, and licked his lips._

 _"Had to shut you up before you gave me rights to another one." Felix explained nonchalantly and Peter nodded. Felix tapped the same spot on his own face, and Peter raised an eyebrow curiously. "Don't pretend you're not mad at me too." Felix explained and Peter shook his head._

 _"I'm not." He explained and grinned a bit, even though his stomach seemed to twist a bit. "I shouldn't be mad at you for anything." Peter insisted and Felix twitched his nose, shifting as Peter had before the punch._

 _"Yeah but I should've stopped you." Felix said calmly, but Peter shoved his hands in his cloaks pocket and shook his head adamantly._

 _"I'm the only one that deserved a punch in that respect. Anyway, are we alright now?" Peter asked quickly and Felix nodded, looking surprisingly a lot calmer than when he first came over to chat. Peter had guessed right about his friend._

 _Felix told him that the ladies who'd spun wool had passed away a while ago, and Peter nodded, biting his cheek. "What do you plan on doing?" Peter finally asked, after a few minutes of standing in awkward silence. He watched the other townspeople preparing to live here again, after being in a modern world for so long._

 _He almost wanted to find Rumpelstiltskin, but he knew that the boy he'd known all those years ago had also died a while ago. There was nothing left of the little squirt Peter used to tease, but instead a cruel reminder of what he himself had almost become. Peter tried not to think about it, but he wondered how much of himself would've been left if the Shadow had gotten its way._

 _So he searched the crowd lightly for the man, and saw Baelfire pestering him nonstop about a way to travel back to the other world. The dark one looked strange next to his son, as if he'd found some type of peace. The contrast between that peace and the unsettlement of Baelfire was like fire and ice._

 _Next he found the lost boys, standing together in a huddle near Auria. They seemed to like her, and Peter considered the idea that it was because she reminded them of Trinity. Aside from the fact that Rufio...Rufio was..._

 _A thought dawned on him suddenly, and he was glad Felix was taking a long time to answer his question. He hadn't thought about it in years, but the boy Rufio had been a rash and probably foolish decision of his. Despite the fact that Peter excelled at those type of decisions, this one wasn't exactly one to be proud of._

 _A bubble of resentment and painful feelings grew in him as he went through the memories. It was cold and bitter tasting in his mouth, yet it all had a certain familiar feeling to it. Peter pushed it away, using all of his willpower not to delve in dark thoughts again. Then, after he collected his thoughts once more, he noticed the pirate setting up supplies on a horse._

 _"I'll figure out something." Felix said eventually and followed where he was looking. "I know what you're thinking, but it probably won't work." He said and Peter nodded, just not coming to the same conclusion. Peter was going to get back to Trinity, even if he didn't know how yet. The one thing he did know was that he would have to search for the answers._

 _Strange, something gave him the feeling that he wouldn't find it by staying put._

* * *

 _Auria's POV_

 _"Tink, I must do this. If I do not..." Auria bit her lip as she came to a loss for words, not sure how or what she would do if Blue didn't accept her back. She'd always known she'd be punished for stealing the magic beans, but getting Rufio back was worth it. However, after so long, she's not even sure if she can successfully get Rufio back to their family._

 _"I get it...just don't push yourself too hard with this." Tink said and her eyes slid over Auria's figure, grinning a bit. "You know, you really stand out with those clothes." Auria grunted, pulling at her shirt and twitching her feet inside dark orange flats. Her outfit is the same as the one she wore on Neverland, from the realm without magic._ _With the exception that they're fresh and new, the clothes are a tad unpleasant to her. It's as if whatever sent them back here was just taunting her._

 _"The others will just have to wonder, huh?" She grumbled and shook her head. She was only in a bad mood because she'd been tossed around lately with Neverland and Storybrooke, then coming back here. She missed Trinity, and found herself wondering if it really was better for her and her family to forget about everything._

 _"Once we find Blue we'll talk to her. She already said yes to me, and it isn't like you're much worse." Tink teased and Auria sighed and nodded. "What were you talking to Pan for anyway?" Tink asked and they both looked over as Felix clocked one on Peter. Auria moved reflexively, but Tink held her back with a hand. "I think it's just...a guy thing."_

 _"Right..." Auria muttered and folded her arms up on her chest. "Well, aside from that. I just wanted to understand a bit more. I am curious, he doesn't seem at all the cruel person he was on Neverland. If there was a curse affecting him now, no one has given him much sympathy. What if-"_

 _"You're thinking too far into it. I don't care what Trinity or whoever said about the Shadow, that boy has done evil things. I don't have a clean record, but the odds are against him with this. It's not our problem." Tink insisted and Auria shrugged, having to put her mind off it as she didn't entirely agree with her friend._

 _She walked over to the lost boys and ruffled Rufio's hair. He waved her off, but still shot her a small grin. "I think we should stay with the royal people." Pazi said, and Auria had to ignore his blotchy eyes. While the other lost boys had kept a stone face, Pazi was more shaken up when saying goodbye to Trinity. Still, she was happy that he and the twins seem to be sticking together._

 _She almost had a hard time bringing up her and Rufio leaving, because they all looked so sad at seeing him go. "Rufio, we-"_

 _"You're going to be working with the fairies right? While you do that, and look for.. our family, I could stay with them." Rufio insisted and Auria internally flinched. The loyalty and friendship between these boys was strong, but their reluctance to let go also frightened Auria. If they lost someone, would the three left be able to handle it._

 _"Yeah...yeah sounds good. With all this relocation, though, we might find them pretty soon. Snow wants everyone from Storybrooke to go to the castle..." She said weakly, but the chance of their family being in Storybrooke was low. It was more likely that they'd escaped the curse somehow... that or they've already passed._

 _Auria suddenly wanted to run from the conversation, even though she'd put herself in it. The looks the boys were giving her were in between hopeful and scared. She looked up and around, finding Hook mounting a horse. "I'll be right back." She murmured and trotted over to the pirate and the king and queen._

 _"Hook, are you leaving?" She asked, having always felt a little fond of the man ever since he saved David. Even if he was a little difficult at times._

 _"Aye, lass. Not you as well on the 'I thought Hook was good' campaign." Hook said slightly irritably, and Auria raised an eyebrow. Snow and David shared a look, yet Auria just tilted her head slightly. He was coping with loosing Emma, and Auria decided then that she would help him._

 _"No, not much." She said and tried to smother a grin. She digs in her small jean pocket and pull out a small bottle of dust. It glowed a bright amber in between her fingers, and she lightly tossed it up to him. Hook snatched it from the air with his one hand, and he peered at it perplexed._

 _"What the hell will I use this for?" He asked and Auria chuckled, covering her mouth a bit. She'd bottled the dust with a bottle from the pregnant Queen, the one they'd all surprised upon arriving._

 _"Sell it, trade it, find a use for it." Auria suggested and didn't care that David and Snow were giving her strange looks, as if they were trying to decide what she was doing. All Auria knew is that her gut told her Hook would be able to use it for something, and she enjoyed helping others. She's been out of practice for far too long, and it felt right._

 _"Thank you, Auria." Hook said, and slipped the bottle into a pouch. "If you ever meet me again, and you're in need of a voyage, just ask." With that he took off, and Auria didn't wait to watch him go. Instead she turned and looked steadily at the king and queen of the kingdom._

 _They didn't seem to notice her for a second, caught up in a conversation with a dwarf. She waited for them to finish before proposing to them about Rufio and the other lost boys. David clasped his hand on hers and promised that they would be taken care of, and she smiled and thanked them. "Ah...uhm, Felix and Peter..." She trailed off, considering that she wasn't in any place to be asking for them._

 _"We were planning on inviting them into the castle with us. Although, I'm not sure how much Pan will be accepted by the others." David pointed out and Snow bit her lip. Auria frowned, and Snow told her to wait a moment while they got everyone moving. The two had a short talk with the other royalty, the ones who'd stayed in this world, and then everyone from Storybrooke set out._

 _Auria waved to Tink and pointed to Snow, receiving a eye roll from the impatient woman. "Are you nineteen?" A voice spooked her and she almost tripped, but a hand caught her elbow and righted her. Felix gave her a look, and she rubbed her arm where he touched her after he let go. "Watch your step."_

 _She raised an eyebrow and raised her left shoulder a bit. Despite the few days they spent with Trinity, neither of them had bothered to talk to each other all that much. Auria had just assumed that the last thing Felix cared about was getting to know her. One thing they did talk about, once, was everyone's experience on Neverland. Trinity had brought it up, and the three of them shared their stories. Felix and Trinity already knew each other's, so Auria was the one out of the loop. "Discrediting my time in the maze, yes."_

 _Her tone was guarded, and Felix acknowledged it with a curt nod. She felt a bit of embarrassment pool up and she looked away, spotting Peter walking alone a little out of hearing range. "Rufio said something about it, so I just wanted to see if he was lying." Felix drawled._

 _"Well... wait you talk to Rufio?"_

 _"Not really."_

 _"Oh...well this is a fairy thing. I look younger, but we age slowly, so I'm pretty young in fairy terms. We also kinda start out at looking like we're thirteen."_

 _"Hmm." Felix made a face and Auria's face flared with shame and embarrassment. The large group was soon encased in the woods, and although they stayed on a trail Auria wouldn't be surprised if she still ran into a tree._

 _"It is weird, but not much weirder than your birth!" She spoke as if she didn't care, but she swiveled her head to look as Felix laughed. It wasn't much, but he scrunched his nose and she suddenly felt more at ease. "Are you mocking me?" She asked and he shook his head, silencing his laugh._

 _"I don't really care if your nineteen." He responded with a small grin. Felix looked as if he was about to same something more, but Snow tapped on Auria's shoulder and David tapped on his. Auria spared Felix one glance before turning to Snow and indulging in a small conversation about the lost boys._

* * *

 _Felix's POV_

 _"You want me to what?" Felix asked surprised at what the man was trying to tell him. If there was anyone less likely to become a knight, Felix would've pointed them out to David. Obviously he's hitting the bottom of the barrel with options._

 _"Listen, if you have something else you want to do then that's fine. But you're still underage and you've been on an island for who knows how long. Besides there's advantages to training as a knight." David tries to persuade him and Felix just scratches his ear doubtfully._

 _"A title? A schedule? A routine stroll around the castle?" Felix mocked, but something strange in him made him glare at the road ahead, filled with the other townspeople. He kicked a pebble and kept it going, as he listened to David contradict him._

 _David went on and on about what there was to learn and how he could get a good future. "With your skills in sparring from Neverland, you could get really good really fast." David added and Felix gave him a questioning glance. "Oh, Pazi likes to talk about it." He explained and Felix snorted, more annoyed at the kid than ever. "I'll let you think about it, huh?" David suggested and walked away to find his wife._

 _Felix had a voice in his head telling him that he didn't need any of it. Their pity, their generosity. He could get along just fine at almost anything he wanted to do. Then, it hit him like a branch smacking him in the face. Felix didn't have anything he wanted to do. He didn't have any ambitions or goals. No dreams or fluff like that. Felix was a blank page, with a whole lotta smudge marks from the eraser._

 _On one hand he could go and find someone to be apprenticed to. Maybe he'd find a farm do something like what his parents did. Felix rejected the idea immediately. Even though he hated to admit it to himself, everything he'd done on Neverland had been for nothing. If he died today, his life would amount to nothing._

 _"Hey." A small voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he turned his head to see Auria standing next to him. Without noticing he'd stopped on the road, and people were passing him and giving them strange looks. "You are giving that rock a pretty impressive scowl." Auria said humorously and Felix shrugged as they both started walking again, finding the rock and kicking it some more._

 _"It was being difficult." Felix drawled, and Auria placed a hand on his arm. "What are you doing?" He asked and she searched his eyes with a strange, pitiful look._

 _Felix ripped his arm from hers and strode forward a pace intending to leave her behind, yet she matched it. Even with difficulty she managed to force a meaningful look onto him. "You do not have to brush everything off. What are your troubles?" She asked with a strange, characteristic conviction._

 _Felix slowed his pace and sighed, somehow feeling compelled to indulge her. Maybe she'd listen to him vaguely describe what he's feeling. He might look weak or strong in her eyes, but Felix knew no matter what he said he'd decided that he didn't want to get anymore involved with these people. He'd probably leave once they crossed a town, or close to one._

 _"You know, I think if you were going to leave these people you would have already done it. Maybe they remind you of Trinity, or maybe there's something about them that has hooked you. Either way, the longer you debate about it the more you might convince yourself you do not need others, that you can do anything alone better than you would with these people." Auria said before he had a chance to explain, and Felix widened his eyes. "But I imagine, whatever you decide, Trinity would want you to be wherever you are happy. You just do not seem the type to be happy on a field full of potatoes."_

 _He frowned, and tried to come up with a response while she stroked her pendant. Her face was tilted away from him, but he could still make out her nervous and tentative expression. Still, her eyes were hard as if she could stare unflinchingly at a ferocious beast while demanding it brush its teeth. "Well." Felix broke the silence and stopped with his rock kicking, leaving it behind. "If he tells me I have to start as a page I refuse." Felix commented and wondered how much more the ordinary person would be able to accomplish with as much conviction in the small fairy beside him._

* * *

 ** _Welp, I guess this is it. I just wanted to introduce the story in the enchanted forest before heading onto the next one. There might be a few loose ends, but they'll definitely get tied together in the next story. Thank you, and I'll be back soon!_**


	35. Secret AN (hint: not secret)

**Hello! We're not supposed to post chapters that are just author's notes, but people do it all the time anyway.**

 **I'm just throwing this in here, especially after so long in the other story, because I figure some people don't read my little messages at the start and end of every chapter.**

 **I...usually don't when I read other people's story so, ya know. I get it.**

 **The point of this was that to everyone who regularly skips these messages-**

 **This story is now continuing as 'Princesses and Frogs'!**

 **Just so the one story wouldn't get overcrowded with chapters.**

 **Anyway, thanks for tuning in! You can find the next parts to this story on my profile page! Later!**


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